Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 May 2016
47. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces or doctors contracted by the Defence Forces conduct or ever conducted specialised testing for the neurotoxic side-effects of mefloquine on soldiers who received the drug while in the Defence Forces; and the specialty of the doctors conducting these tests. [9323/16]
View answer48. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence how many soldiers have been referred for testing for mefloquine neurotoxicity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9324/16]
View answer49. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence if he is satisfied that manufacturer’s guidelines were always, and in every case, followed by the prescribing authorities of the Irish Defence Forces when prescribing Lariam to Irish Defence Forces personnel, given the British Ministry of Defence’s acknowledgement that British armed forces personnel had been prescribed Lariam outside of the manufacturer's guidelines and that Ministry of Defence's subsequent apology to those personnel, along with the recommendations of the Australian Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's report. [9325/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 47 to 49, inclusive, together.
All personnel, of the Irish Defence Forces, whether prescribed Mefloquine or not, who have been deployed on an overseas mission, are subjected to a screening repatriation medical examination on mission completion. Depending on the findings at this repatriation medical examination, an individual member of the Defence Forces may be referred for further more specialised investigations which are carried out by an appropriately qualified medical specialist.
Since 2001, Irish Defence Forces’ personnel have completed approximately 7,000 tours of duty in Malaria-prone areas. It should be borne in mind that an individual may complete a number of such tours during their service. Information in relation to the specific medication prescribed to each individual and any subsequent follow-up medical referrals are retained in an individual’s medical file. The Defence Forces’ management systems are not designed to collate the information requested by the Deputy from individual files.
I am satisfied that it has always been the policy of the Irish Defence Forces Medical Corps to follow best practice with regard to the practice of medicine in the Defence Forces and in relation to medications and manufacturer’s guidelines on their prescribing and dispensing.
