Written Answers Nos. 545-556
545. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the location of the records, including the birth registers and the maternity theatre registers, for each year from 1958 to 2007, relating to maternity and obstetric services formerly provided at the Bon Secours Hospital in County Cork, under arrangements pursuant to maternity services legislation. [28456/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
546. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a temporary appointment has been made to the ophthalmology service in County Longford, as previously advised; if not, when is it expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28461/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
547. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health if the LINX Reflux Management System is available to patients for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, as an alternative to the Nissen fundoplication method; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28463/15]
View answer548. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health if any cost-benefit analysis has been carried out regarding the LINX Reflux Management System vis-à-vis the Nissen Fundoplication Method for the treatment of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease; his Department's position in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28464/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 547 and 548 together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
549. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a knee replacement operation for a person (details supplied) at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28465/15]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
550. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his views on concerns that autism services do not have sufficient funding to offer placements to persons who need them (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28466/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
551. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if eligibility for a medical card for persons (details supplied) in County Kildare will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28469/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
552. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 450 of 31 March 2015, if the Director General of the Health Service Executive has considered the second review, and the actions taken to date; if, given this, he will seek an independent review of all contracts awarded without a competitive process by the Saolta Galway Roscommon University Hospital Group, since its establishment, and given two separate investigations by the Executive into contracts awarded to companies associated with both the then Chief Executive Officer and Chairman; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28470/15]
View answerThe HSE has advised that the investigation of matters covered by the second Internal Audit Review are still under consideration and, accordingly, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this matter at present.
553. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health for a breakdown of the amounts paid to private companies for pest control services by the Health Service Executive, by acute hospitals, in 2014. [28471/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
554. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting pancreatic transplants, and the number of persons who are post-transplant; his views that it is appropriate that nephrologists will now be taking over pancreatic care; when the proposed pancreatic transplant surgeon will be in place; his views that the nursing staff in Saint Vincent's Hospital in Dublin 4 have the expertise or the capacity to deal with such cases; if he is satisfied with the advice offered to seriously immuno-suppressed patients to attend emergency departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28477/15]
View answerEight patients are currently on the active waiting list, 5 are awaiting a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant and 3 are awaiting a pancreas only transplant. Of the 78 patients who have received a pancreas transplant, 28 are currently being reviewed in the Beaumont transplant clinic and the remainder are being managed by their consultant nephrologist.
It is normal practice that nephrologists take over the post-transplant clinical care of patients who they would have referred for a pancreas transplant. Nephrologists utilise the referral process back to the transplant surgeons at Beaumont Hospital if clinically appropriate. The transplant clinic will remain at Beaumont Hospital for all kidney and pancreas patients that have had their transplant procedure carried out at Beaumont Hospital.
The consultant who undertook pancreas transplants at Beaumont Hospital retired at the end of 2014. While Beaumont Hospital is making every effort to recruit a suitable replacement, the hospital is also collaborating with St. Vincent’s University Hospital in relation to a combined approach to kidney/pancreas transplants. It is proposed that pancreas transplants, of which 6 were performed in 2014, will move to St. Vincent’s University Hospital. As St. Vincent’s is already established as the National Liver Transplant Centre, and is a designated centre for pancreas cancer services, it is well placed to undertake pancreas transplants. Most pancreas transplants are combined with a kidney transplant. The arrangements being put in place for such cases will involve transplant surgeons from St. Vincent’s University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital working together on the St. Vincent’s campus.
If a transplant patient under the care of Beaumont Hospital encounters problems, they contact the renal registrar via Beaumont Hospital's switch board. If this occurs during day time, they may be asked to present to the renal day ward for assessment. If the renal registrar is contacted by a patient out of hours, he/she will be advised to present to the Emergency Department where the patient will be assessed by the Emergency Department staff and also reviewed by the renal registrar, and/or the consultant nephrologist, if required. In addition, the patient can contact the transplant coordinators at Beaumont Hospital for guidance.
555. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing the weekly income limits by 20% for single persons living alone, single persons living with family, married or cohabiting couples, and lone parents with children, in respect of general practitioner visit cards. [28479/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
556. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if an early appointment for orthopaedic surgery at the orthopaedic hospital in County Limerick will be provided to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28480/15]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
