Written Answers Nos. 349-366
349. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have been seen at a clinic (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22713/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
350. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding speech and language therapy for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22716/17]
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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
351. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment can be scheduled for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22720/17]
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.
352. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22727/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
353. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the number of cases of a notifiable disease (details supplied) recorded in County Donegal from June 2016 to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22729/17]
View answerAs this is a services matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
354. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the number of recorded cases of a specific infection (details supplied) in County Donegal from June 2016 to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22730/17]
View answerAs this is a services matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
355. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the range of notifiable diseases recorded in County Donegal from June 2016 to date in 2017; and the number of instances recorded of each notifiable disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22731/17]
View answerAs this is a services matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
356. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to the allocation of an extra €15 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund in 2017, the number of persons in each hospital on day case and inpatient lists who have been offered treatment by the fund to date in 2017; and the number of persons in each hospital who have had treatment as a result of such an offer. [22736/17]
View answer357. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the amount of the extra €15 million allocated to the National Treatment Purchase Fund in 2017 that has been spent; and the dates and locations that it was spent. [22737/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 357 together.
Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.
In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF for the first tranche of funding in the region of €5m for a waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that in excess of 2000 patients waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure will have received an appointment for their procedure by 30 June 2017.
The NTPF has advised that the Initiative has commenced and patients are currently receiving their appointments. Specifically, over 350 patients awaiting cataract procedures who would have been waiting for longer than 18 months by the end of June have been identified as appropriate to test the first clinical pathway for this outsourcing initiative.
It may not be possible to make specific information on costs in relation to individual private hospitals available due to its commercial sensitivity, however the NTPF will be required to provide to the Department of Health, financial reports regarding the waiting list initiatives.
In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
358. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will request the HSE and the University of Limerick hospital group to report on the internal investigation into the premature death of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22740/17]
View answerFirstly, I wish to express my sympathies to the family of the person concerned. The responsibility for providing public health care in hospitals and communities throughout the country rests with the HSE and I have therefore asked the HSE to respond to you directly on this request.
359. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the drug Respreeza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22763/17]
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.
360. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of medical and surgical beds in use in Naas hospital; his plans to increase this number in view of the expected growth in population in the area in Census 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22767/17]
View answerIn relation to the query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
361. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the regional specialist obesity treatment centres used to support persons with obesity in other jurisdictions as part of an integrated model across primary, secondary and community care; his plans for the roll-out of similar centres here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22772/17]
View answerThe international experience relating to obesity was considered in the development of the Obesity Policy and Action Plan and as the Deputy's question relates to the roll-out of centres, which is a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
362. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the practice of water fluoridation should be discontinued in view of the cost and the fact that his Department has on many occasions put off medical treatment and services for sick persons and downgraded hospitals due to a lack of funds and resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22776/17]
View answerThe Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960 provides for the fluoridation of public piped water supplies. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural concentration of fluoride in drinking water to the optimal recommended level for the prevention of dental caries (tooth decay). Preliminary results from the research project "Fluoride and Caring for Children's Teeth" (FACCT), which is being conducted by UCC and supported by the HSE, indicate that children's oral health has been improving overall and that fluoridated communities continue to have lower levels of tooth decay than non-fluoridated communities. The results of this research project are due to be published this year. The annual cost of water fluoridation is approximately €4 million. Cessation of this policy would not lead to savings but to increased costs associated with the treatment of tooth decay. There are no plans to discontinue water fluoridation, which continues to be a key element of public health policy.
363. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health when a glucose monitor will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22781/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
364. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the supports a person with a foetal alcohol spectrum disorder can avail of on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22793/17]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
365. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if a person with borderline personality disorder may be admitted on a voluntarily or involuntarily basis to a psychiatric hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22794/17]
View answerThe Mental Health Act 2001 and regulations made thereunder contain the legislative provisions governing admission to and treatment for mental illness in approved centres.
Nothing in this Act prevents a person from being admitted voluntarily to an approved centre for treatment.
For a person to be admitted as an involuntary patient, there is a three stage process involving an initial application, a recommendation from a General Practitioner and an assessment by a Consultant Psychiatrist that the person under examination suffers from a mental disorder and meets the conditions for involuntary admission as set out in Section 3 of the Act.
Individuals with borderline personality disorder may be admitted as involuntary patients, but only if they are also deemed to be suffering from a mental disorder and providing they meet the conditions for involuntary admission as set out in section 3 of the Act.
Section 8(2) of the Mental Health Act 2001 specifically prohibits the involuntary admission of a person to an approved centre by reason only of the fact that the person:
(a) is suffering from a personality disorder;
(b) is socially deviant; or
(c) is addicted to drugs or intoxicants.
366. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the supports and treatments for persons who are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22795/17]
View answerAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
