Written Answers Nos. 990-1009
990. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if he will address the issue of general practitioners and charging patients with medical cards for individual blood tests; if his attention has been drawn to this situation occurring; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21695/21]
View answerPersons who are eligible for GP care without charge under the Health Act 1970 are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services. There is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or GP visit card to be charged for routine phlebotomy services provided by their GP which are required to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition. This has been advised to GPs by the HSE.
The GP chronic disease management programme which is being phased in, having commenced last year, will involve the ongoing monitoring of patients’ condition and any blood tests required in this context will be covered by the fees payable for this care.
If a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes he or she has been incorrectly charged for routine phlebotomy services by his or her GP, then that patient should report the matter to their HSE Local Health Office. The local management, upon being notified of potential inappropriate charging of GMS patients, carry out an investigation into each complaint and will, where appropriate, arrange for a refund of charges incorrectly applied by the GP.
991. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the original budget allocation for primary care in 2020 in each CHO; the outturn for same in 2020; and the budget allocation for 2021, in tabular form. [21699/21]
View answerAs this matter is specifically related to the operation of HSE I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
992. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for a wheelchair in CHO5, by area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21704/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
994. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of persons that have a medical card in New Ross, County Wexford. [21706/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
995. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the status of the plans for a primary care centre in Clondalkin, Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21708/21]
View answerAs the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
996. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the status of the plans for a primary care centre in Lucan, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21709/21]
View answerAs the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
997. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the status of the plans for a service (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21710/21]
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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
998. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health if a commitment will be made to allow for a process for persons to apply for an exemption from the mandatory hotel quarantine as provided under the relevant health Act for compassionate reasons before they make their journey abroad and return here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21711/21]
View answerMandatory hotel quarantine has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern.
The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.
Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.
The provisions of the Act allow for travellers to request a review of decisions relating to their quarantine in a designated facility; however, this can only be undertaken once quarantine has begun. Requests for review are submitted to the State Liaison Officer present in each designated facility and are considered by independent appeals officers. Decisions on requests for review are provided within a 24-hour period. The State Liaison Officer (Irish Defence Forces) in the hotel provides passengers with information on how to apply.
The Act identifies those who are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine, and a full list of exemptions can be accessed on gov.ie/quarantine.
The Government continues to evaluate wider policy on international travel as informed by the epidemiological situation and public health advice.
In this context, regulations have been introduced to allow fully vaccinated persons arriving from designated states to be exempt from Mandatory Hotel Quarantine. However, this only applies to persons who are fully vaccinated with an EMA-approved vaccine and there will still be a requirement for them to quarantine at home following arrival into the State.
Please note that the 4 EMA approved vaccines currently accepted have specific definitions for when a person would be considered fully vaccinated.
The following table sets out the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’;
|
Type of Vaccine |
You are regarded as fully vaccinated after |
|
Pfizer-BioNtech |
7 days after 2nd dose |
|
Moderna |
14 days after 2nd dose |
|
Oxford-AstraZeneca |
15 days after 2nd dose |
|
Johnson & Johnson/Janssen |
14 days after single dose |
Passengers who are fully vaccinated and exempt from hotel quarantine are still subject to other travel restrictions, such as the need to provide a negative pre-departure PCR test and complete a period of self-quarantine at home or wherever specified in their passenger locator form.
Neither myself or my Department have any role in deciding which persons must enter mandatory quarantine or which persons are exempt from entering mandatory quarantine. All such decisions are to be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
The Government continues to advise against all non-essential international travel.
999. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive their Covid-19 vaccine. [21726/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1000. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health his plans to recruit advanced nurse practitioners dedicated solely to children with Down syndrome in 2021 and or in 2022. [21732/21]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for consideration and direct reply her.
1001. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of the short-term five-year targets for overweight and obesity as outlined in A Healthy Weight for Ireland (details supplied); if the targets for 2016 to date have been met in achieving the downward trend per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21733/21]
View answerA Healthy Weight for Ireland’, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP), was launched in September 2016 as part of the Healthy Ireland Framework. The OPAP covers a 10-year period up to 2025 and aims to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy. The Plan recognises that obesity is a complex, multi-faceted problem and needs a multi-pronged solution, with every sector of society playing its part.
The OPAP prescribed the following short-term (five-year) targets for overweight and obesity:
- a sustained downward trend (averaging 0.5% per annum as measured by the Healthy Ireland Survey) in the level of excess weight averaged across all adults;
- a sustained downward trend [averaging 0.5% per annum as measured by the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) in the level of excess weight in children, and
- a reduction in the gap in obesity levels between the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups by 10%, as measured by the Healthy Ireland and COSI surveys.
The 2019 Healthy Ireland Survey, for which the field work was carried out between September 2018 and September 2019, found that 37% of those surveyed were overweight and 23% were obese. These figures are the same as for the 2015 survey. This indicated that by 2019 the overweight and obesity levels among adults were stabilising, but at a high level and were not showing signs of a sustained decline.
The report of the 5th Round of COSI was published in October 2020, and anthropometric measurements for this survey were carried out between October 2018 and January 2019. This report found that overall levels of overweight and obesity among primary school children stood at 19.1%, and that these levels appeared to be continuing to plateau. However, the report did not find the levels to be plateauing in DEIS schools.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted upon the survey methods used to obtain these statistics. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Healthy Ireland Survey was conducted by computer aided personal interview (CAPI) in respondents’ own homes, which allowed for in-person measurements of height, weight, waist circumference and BMI to be conducted. However, the most recent wave of the Healthy Ireland Survey, for which results have not yet been published, was conducted by computer aided telephone interview (CATI). This methodology is in line with current necessary COVID-19 restrictions and infection control requirements but does not enable measurement in person. The Department is committed to administering the Healthy Ireland survey annually. The eighth wave, scheduled to commence interviewing in the Autumn, will be conducted using CATI. The possibility of returning to the CAPI format will be reviewed annually. Presentation and interpretation of the survey trends will take account of the switch to the CATI methodology.
While the data in relation to the targets in the OPAP are not complete, it is clear that obesity remains a significant challenge. For this reason, there is a renewed focus on combatting obesity by this government, and a particular emphasis on addressing health inequalities in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. In terms of the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, an evaluation of the policy is being carried out by the Centre for Health and Diet Research in University College Cork, which is expected to be completed by June 2021. This will be an important input to the mid-term review of the OPAP which will be carried out this year, which will lead to a refreshed and updated Plan with a revised set of actions for the remaining lifetime of the OPAP.
1006. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioner referrals and attendance numbers for symptomatic breast disease and prostate rapid access clinics in each of the past five years and to date in 2021. [21768/21]
View answerThe below table shows the numbers of electronic GP referrals to symptomatic breast disease (urgent and non-urgent) and prostate rapid access clinics in each of the past five years and to date in 2021. While not all GP referrals to rapid access clinics are made electronically, estimates for 2019 indicate an electronic referral rate of 91% for prostate and 82% for breast. More recent data suggests that GP referrals are almost exclusively being made electronically since March 2020.
|
Electronic GP Referrals |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
Jan-Mar 2021 |
|
Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics |
21,562 |
24,298 |
31,418 |
35,120 |
40,394 |
12,786 |
|
Prostate Rapid Access Clinics |
1,674 |
1,873 |
2,574 |
3,481 |
3,390 |
788 |
The numbers of new attendances in each of the past five years and to date in 2021 are as follows:
|
New Attendances |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
Jan-Mar 2021 |
|
Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics |
41,333 |
40,813 |
42,872 |
42,822 |
37,887 |
10,478 |
|
Prostate Rapid Access Clinics |
2,582 |
3,018 |
3,362 |
3,821 |
3,047 |
839 |
1007. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health when persons diagnosed with cystic fibrosis will receive their vaccination for Covid-19 particularly those aged 18 to 21 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21771/21]
View answerThe COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.
On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death. The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and my Department, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).
The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:
- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;
- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;
- improving transparency and fairness.
Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/93f8f-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-irelands-vaccination-prioritisation-list/
People aged 16-69 with severe cystic fibrosis will be vaccinated in Group 4. Vaccination of this Group began in March.
People aged 65-69 with stable cystic fibrosis will be vaccinated in Group 5. Vaccine registration for this Group began on the 15th of April.
People aged 16-64 with stable cystic fibrosis will be vaccinated in Group 7.
1008. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase the number of persons that can attend a wedding once a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been rolled-out nationally. [21786/21]
View answer1021. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to extend the number of wedding guests permitted to gather at ceremonies and receptions in the near future given the increase in numbers permitted to attend funerals; if he will take into account the number of times couples have had to cancel or postpone losing substantial deposits in the process and their need for clear information in order that they can make plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21866/21]
View answer1067. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health when clarification will be provided on changes in restrictions to the number of persons allowed to attend weddings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22111/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1008, 1021 and 1067 together.
I recognise the significant impact that the restrictions on weddings have had on people given the importance and significance of such a special occasion. However, Level 5 restrictive measures currently remain in place. Any measures introduced at any level of the Plan are aimed at limiting the spread and damage of COVID-19 and are necessary to protect our key priorities of supporting and maintaining health and social care services, keeping education and childcare services open and protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.
The Government announced a phased easing of restrictions over April in recognition of the significant impact that the extended period of Level 5 restrictions is having on people. The focus of this easing of measures is on enabling more outdoor activities in order to improve the health and wellbeing of society.
The situation will be subject to ongoing review taking account of the evolving epidemiological situation, the impact of the reopening of priority services, and available evidence in relation to vaccine deployment, uptake and effectiveness. The NPHET and the Government will consider the position again later this week and it is anticipated that a roadmap for the further easing of measures over the coming months will be agreed, including in relation to weddings.
Significant progress has been made on suppressing the virus due to the huge effort of our citizens. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. We all must continue to do everything possible to avoid the virus spreading.
The Government's guidelines for weddings at all levels of the Framework are available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19.
1009. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if he will establish a vaccination centre in east County Cork. [21819/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
