Written Answers Nos. 203 - 211
203. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of the publication of a new national cancer strategy in view of the fact that it is over 15 months since the previous strategy expired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15790/17]
View answer224. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health his plans to publish the national cancer care strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15941/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 224 together.
The development of a new National Cancer Strategy is nearing finalisation. I intend to bring the Strategy to Government in the coming weeks, following which it will be published.
204. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an appointment for an angiogram for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15802/17]
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.
205. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will make arrangements for an emergency medical appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15803/17]
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.
206. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a specialised wheelchair to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15804/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
207. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 8% of all persons requiring an endoscopy here are on the waiting list at Naas General Hospital, County Kildare; his views on whether this exceptional waiting figure is due to the delay in providing the new endoscopy unit at the hospital; if he will address this waiting list by providing funding to transfer persons waiting for endoscopy to private hospitals to reduce waiting times; if he will ensure that the new endoscopy unit at Naas General Hospital is included in the revised capital plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15806/17]
View answerReducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.
In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate €5m to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2000 daycases will be managed through this process and outsourcing of treatment will commence shortly. The focus of this initiative will be those lists with large numbers of long waiting patients.
In addition to this Daycase Initiative, the NTPF has been working closely with my Department and the HSE to agree an approach to the remaining 2017 allocation. The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plans for Inpatient/Daycase procedures and Outpatient appointments to reduce the number of patients waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Inpatient/Day case Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach to the utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017.
Future investment in hospitals must be considered within the overall acute hospital sector infrastructure programme, the prioritised needs of the hospital groups and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. Nevertheless, the HSE will continue to apply the available funding for infrastructure development in the most effective way possible to meet current and future needs, having regard to the level of commitments and the costs to completion already in place.
The Department of Health is working with the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to conduct a mid-term review of the capital programme. While the review will consider capacity requirements over the next decade or so, it will also have a short-term focus and determine how capital investment over the coming years can be best targeted, given the current pressures being experienced within our hospital services. Funding for the Endoscopy development in Naas will be considered in this context.
208. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the cystic fibrosis drug Kalydeco; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15810/17]
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 line with the 2013 Act, if a company would like a medicine to be reimbursed by the HSE pursuant to the community drug schemes or as a hospital medicine, the company must first submit an application to the HSE to have the new medicine added to the reimbursement list or to be priced as a hospital medicine. The company must submit a separate application to extend a treatment to a new cohort of patients. Each application is considered separately on its merits and in line with the 2013 Act.
In reaching its decision, the HSE examines all the evidence which may be relevant in its view for the decision (including the information or 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, NCPE).
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:
- the health needs of the public;
- the cost-effectiveness of meeting health needs by supplying the item concerned rather than providing other health services;
- the availability and suitability of items for supply or reimbursement;
- 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;
- the potential or actual budget impact of the item or listed item;
- the clinical need for the item or listed item;
- the appropriate level of clinical supervision required in relation to the item to ensure patient safety;
- 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
- the resources available to the HSE.
I am informed that the HSE received a request and economic dossier from the manufacturer of Ivacaftor, brand name Kalydeco, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis patients aged two years and older and weighing less than 25kg. In March of last year, the HSE asked the NCPE to carry out a health technology assessment of the applicant’s economic dossier on the cost effectiveness of this treatment.
The NCPE completed its assessment and made a recommendation in October 2016. The NCPE determined that the manufacturer failed to demonstrate cost-effectiveness of the drug for its intended cohort of patients and did not recommend that it should be reimbursed for this indication at the submitted price.
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/2015/12/Ivacaftor-2-5-years-web-summary.pdf.
The manufacturer of Kalydeco is also the manufacturer of Orkambi. As the Deputy will be aware, discussions with the company regarding Orkambi have been ongoing for a number of months. The most recent discussions have broadened to include Orkambi, Kalydeco and further treatments for cystic fibrosis patients. The matter is currently under consideration by the HSE Directorate and by officials in my Department.
I expect that this process will conclude in a period of weeks. However, given the scale of the investment, the potential benefits for Irish patients and the impact of this decision on the health service overall, I would call on all Deputies to allow this statutory process to be concluded.
I am acutely aware that the last number of months have been a stressful and worrying time for CF patients and their families. However, the Government’s priority is to achieve the best outcome for Irish patients and the health system overall.
209. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health the way in which the HSE plans to support the development of much-needed Jigsaw projects in counties such as Sligo and Leitrim in the last quarter of 2017; the budget that will be available for such development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15811/17]
View answerAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
210. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a person's records; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15814/17]
View answerThe Registration of Maternity Homes Act, 1934, required maternity homes to maintain certain birth and death records. These records were kept at the home. Given the passage of time, I am not sure if all records relating to the private maternity home in question still exist. I am, however, aware that some historic maternity records are held by the National Archives. Accordingly, it might be worth addressing your query to that Office.
211. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15817/17]
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.
