Written Answers Nos. 900-918
900. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to prevent double charging of patients in public hospitals who become an inpatient through accident and emergency departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31031/15]
View answerIn 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.
902. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the number of new non-front line positions that have been created in the Health Service Executive since the start of this Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31041/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the matter. 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.
903. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the situation with respect to protocols used in a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31047/15]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that the first step that anyone should take in relation to concerns about anti-social behaviour is to contact the local Gardaí. There may be a range of reasons as to why individuals engage in such behaviour, one of which may be related to the state of a person’s mental health.
Where there are obvious concerns about a person’s mental health, people can find out more about the appropriate steps to take by looking at the information available on the HSE’s ‘Your Mental Health’ website. This information can be located at: 'http://www.yourmentalhealth.ie/Mind-Yourself-Support-Others/Concerned/Worried-about-someone-else/’.
Generally the best approach is to make contact directly with the person concerned, if that is deemed appropriate in the circumstances. Contacting and involving the person’s GP (if known) or the local HSE Community Mental Health Team are other options that may be appropriate depending on the circumstances.
If concerned people believe there is a risk from the person, then they should contact the Gardaí. If the Gardaí have reasonable grounds for believing that a person is suffering from a mental illness and that, because of the illness, there is a serious likelihood of the person causing harm to him/herself or another person, the Gardaí may assist in having the person admitted to mental health services involuntarily. This is a last resort in a crisis situation.
904. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide support to the families in respect of a disability service (details supplied) in Dublin 3, as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31060/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
905. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide support to a person (details supplied) with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31061/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
906. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) in County Kerry regarding a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31072/15]
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.
907. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position in relation to a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31073/15]
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.
908. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 55 of 14 October 2014, the progress on the policy on obesity which is due to be finalised this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31076/15]
View answerThe Department of Health is currently developing an Obesity Policy and Action Plan. A National consultation day was held recently and its subsequent Report, (developed by the Institute for Public Health for the Department of Health) is now available on www.health.gov.ie. Further consultations with children and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) are being organised. The results of all consultations will inform the drafting of the Obesity Policy and Action Plan.
909. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health the reason persons with medical cards who cannot take generic medication have to pay an extra price on top of a prescription fee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31083/15]
View answerThe Health (Pricing and Supply of Medicines) Act 2013 provides the statutory basis for the introduction of a system of generic substitution and reference pricing.
Under the legislation, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has statutory responsibility for establishing and maintaining a list of interchangeable medical products. In doing so, the HPRA is required to have regard to a comprehensive set of qualifying conditions, all of which must be complied with before a decision is taken to make a medicinal product interchangeable.
Reference pricing involves the setting of a common reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable products. It means that one reference price is set for each group or list of interchangeable medicines, and this is the price the HSE will reimburse to pharmacists for all medicines in the group, regardless of the individual medicine's prices.
For any medicine that is listed as being interchangeable the legislation provides that a Pharmacist may offer a generic or alternative version of the branded medicine which is set at the reference price. Eligible patients using State drug schemes like the Medical Card or Drugs Payment Scheme will not face any additional costs for products priced at or below the reference price. If a patient would like to receive a particular brand that costs more than the reference price then the patient will have to pay the additional cost of that product.
Section 13 of the Act provides that where a branded interchangeable product is prescribed for a patient and the prescriber is satisfied that the medicinal product, should for clinical reasons, be exempted from substitution, the prescriber shall write 'Do not Substitute' on the prescription. In these cases, the pharmacist must dispense what is written on the prescription, i.e. is not permitted to substitute with any product in the same group of interchangeable products and patients will not face any additional costs if the prescribed product costs more than the reference price.
910. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in a medical procedure in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31088/15]
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.
911. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the position regarding orthodontic braces in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31091/15]
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.
915. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time if a person presents in counties Kerry or Cork with cataracts that are ripe and ready to be removed; the current waiting time (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31101/15]
View answerIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, 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.
916. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for cataract patients in County Kerry from time of referral to treatment; his plans to address the waiting list in view of the fact that the continuous prolonged waiting time for treatment is causing much pain, discomfort and inconvenience for these patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31111/15]
View answerIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, 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.
917. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health when the proposed use of electronic charts will be introduced in maternity hospitals; in relation to a proposed pilot test of the system for Cork University Maternity Hospital, his plans to include Tralee General Maternity Hospital, County Kerry in conjunction with the CUH test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31117/15]
View answerIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, 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.
918. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the options available to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13 in need of a long-term care plan; his plans to support this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31118/15]
View answerEach Local Health Office area in the Health Service Executive (HSE) has a dedicated Disability Manager to coordinate the delivery of services to people with disabilities. It is open to the individual and their family to pursue this matter with the Disability Manager for their area who can be contacted at the HSE offices, Fujitsu House, Unit 100, 4th Floor, Lakeshore Drive, Airside Business Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, telephone 01-8953725.
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
