Clare Daly
Question:1950. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the officer ranks of the Defence Forces who have been prescribed the drug Larium by Army medical personnel. [25623/16]
View answerFriday, 16 September 2016
Questions (1950)
Written answers
The health and welfare of the Defence Forces is a priority for me and this informs my approach to the issue of Lariam. As the Deputy is aware that there are three anti-malarial drugs in use by the Defence Forces, namely Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone and Doxycycline.
The choice of medication for overseas deployment, for both officers and enlisted personnel, is a medical decision made by Medical Officers in the Defence Forces, having regard to the specific circumstances of the mission and the individual member of the Irish Defence Forces. Rank is not a consideration. The Defence Forces management systems are not designed to collate the information requested by the Deputy from indiv idual files. In order to identify the ranks of the personnel, this would involve a review of all medical files to be carried out and resources are not available to allow for such an extensive review.