Written Answers Nos. 513-525
513. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health when a co-ordinator will be recruited for the South Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force to carry out the vital work of direct provision of services and support to the projects and local community organisations operating within its remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3944/17]
View answer519. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health if consideration can be given for the recruitment of a full-time co-ordinator of the South Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force following the retirement of the office holder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3974/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 513 and 519 together.
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputies.
514. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health further to Question No. 319 of 16 December 2016, the status of the freestyle libre glucose monitoring system under the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3950/17]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
515. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health when approved home help hours will be granted to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3956/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
516. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if the cost of the drug MacuShield was previously covered by the medical card scheme; if there has been any recent change to the status of MacuShield in respect of the medical card scheme; if so, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3962/17]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
517. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of a medical card review in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3966/17]
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 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 was issued to Oireachtas members.
518. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when there will be an outcome to the full system analysis review into the circumstances surrounding the death of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3968/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter the question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
520. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter with regard to the drug Respreeza (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3978/17]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drugs schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
In reaching its decision, the HSE examines all the evidence which may be relevant in its view for the decision (including the information /dossier submitted by the Company) and will take into account such expert opinions and recommendations which may have been sought by the HSE at its sole discretion (for example, from the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics).
In considering an application, the HSE will also have regard to Part 1 and Part 3 of Schedule 3 of the 2013 Act. Part 3 requires the HSE to have regard to the following criteria:
1. the health needs of the public;
2. the cost-effectiveness of meeting health needs by supplying the item concerned rather than providing other health services;
3. the availability and suitability of items for supply or reimbursement;
4. the proposed costs, benefits and risks of the item or listed item relative to therapeutically similar items or listed items provided in other health service settings and the level of certainty in relation to the evidence of those costs, benefits and risks;
5. the potential or actual budget impact of the item or listed item;
6. the clinical need for the item or listed item;
7. the appropriate level of clinical supervision required in relation to the item to ensure patient safety;
8. the efficacy (performance in trial), effectiveness (performance in real situations) and added therapeutic benefit against existing standards of treatment (how much better it treats a condition than existing therapies); and
9. the resources available to the HSE.
I am informed that the HSE received a request and economic dossier from the manufacturer of Respreeza for maintenance treatment of emphysema in adults with documented severe alpha1-proteinase inhibitor deficiency.
In June of this year the HSE asked the NCPE to carry out a health technology assessment on the cost effectiveness of this treatment. The NCPE completed its assessment and made a recommendation on 9 December 2016. The NCPE determined that the manufacturer failed to demonstrate cost-effectiveness of the drug and did not recommend it for reimbursement.
A summary of the health technology assessment has been published on the NCPE website and is available at: http://www.ncpe.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/NCPE-website-summary_Final.pdf.
The HSE will consider the NCPE assessment, and other expert advice, as part of its decision-making process for reimbursement. This decision will be made on objective, scientific and economic grounds by the HSE in line with the 2013 Act.
The operation of compassionate access schemes is at the discretion of manufacturers. There is no provision in Irish legislation for the approval of compassionate use programmes for specific groups of patients with an unmet medical need. I have previously asked manufacturers to show compassion and to maintain compassionate access schemes for patients during the assessment process by the HSE and this remains the position. The manufacturer of Respreeza, CSL Behring, has confirmed that the compassionate programme has been extended until the end of February 2017.
521. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number of home care packages granted and the number of fair deal scheme applications granted for each of the years 2011 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3983/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
522. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the reason the condition juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or more specifically polyarthritis, is not included on the list of conditions covered by the long term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3984/17]
View answerThe LTI Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The conditions covered by the LTI are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.
There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Scheme.
523. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a care plan and an appropriate level of funding will be put in place immediately to cope with the ongoing difficulties in the case of a person (details supplied); the supports and services in place or that will be put in place to assist the person's parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3988/17]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
524. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a cataract operation will be arranged as a matter of urgency at WRH for a person (details supplied). [3990/17]
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 HSE, 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.
525. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the reason a commitment given by the HSE to a person (details supplied) that they would be given an appointment at WRH by the end of 2016 has not been honoured. [3991/17]
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 scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
