Written Answers Nos. 218-231
218. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 214 of 22 February 2023, if he will confirm whether persons paying for IVF treatment between now and September 2023 will be reimbursed for their costs from September onwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11727/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Model of Care for Fertility was developed by the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in order to ensure that fertility-related issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
This Model of Care comprises three stages, starting in primary care (i.e., GPs) and extending into secondary care (i.e., Regional Fertility Hubs) and then, where necessary, tertiary care (i.e., IVF (in-vitro fertilisation), ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) and other advanced assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatments), with patients being referred onwards through structured pathways.
Phase One of the roll-out of the Model of Care has involved the establishment, at secondary care level, of Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks, in order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with fertility-related issues at this level of intervention. Patients are referred by their GPs to their local Regional Fertility Hub, which provides a range of treatments and interventions, including: relevant blood tests, semen analysis, assessment of tubal patency, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, fertility-related surgeries, ovulation induction and follicle tracking.The completion of Phase One of the roll-out of the Model of Care, envisaged later this year, will result in fully operational Regional Fertility Hubs at six locations across the country.Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care will see the introduction of tertiary fertility services, including IVF, provided through the public health system. In this regard, funding was secured in Budget 2023 to support access to advanced AHR treatments, including, crucially, to allow the commencement of Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care.This investment will facilitate the first steps to be taken towards the provision of a complete publicly-provided fertility service, which is the ultimate objective of Government. In particular, it will allow the historic development of the first National Advanced AHR Centre, delivering IVF and ICSI through a wholly public clinic. This is scheduled to open in the early part of 2024 and will provide a nationwide service, with all six Regional Fertility Hubs having equity of access for onward referral to it, via a shared care pathway. Subject to the provision of additional funding in future, it is envisaged that additional National Advanced AHR Centres will be developed and become operational on a phased basis elsewhere in the country.The 2023 allocation is also being utilised to support the Regional Fertility Hubs in order to expand their scope of services later this year by introducing the provision of IUI (intrauterine insemination), which can, for certain cohorts of patients, be a potentially effective, yet less complex and less intrusive, type of AHR treatment.Separately, as an interim measure, I have instructed that some funding be made available to support access to advanced AHR treatment via private providers from September 2023.
My officials, in conjunction with NWIHP, are continuing to actively plan for the operationalisation of both the publicly- and privately- provided services, including the development of a national eligibility framework, as well as determining how the interim funding for private treatments will be provided to individual eligible patients. However, as the design and scope of this aspect of the Model of Care have not yet been finalised, I am not in a position at this juncture to provide details in respect of, for instance, any specific criteria to be utilised for determining eligibility for accessing advanced AHR treatment.My Department and the Government is fully committed, through the full implementation of the Model of Care for Fertility, to ensuring that patients always receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced AHR treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the public health system. The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader new AHR regulatory framework, is to improve accessibility to AHR treatments, while at the same time embedding safe and appropriate clinical practice and ensuring the cost-effective use of public resources.
219. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health when the staff in an nursing home (details supplied) in Kilkenny will be paid the pandemic payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11733/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
220. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current status of ampligen for treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME; and the engagement he has had with the European Medicines Agency, EMA, on the issue of authorisation. [11745/23]
View answer221. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions, per year, that the drug ampligen has been applied for, denied access or approved via the exempt medicines scheme, in tabular form. [11749/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 221 together.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical items, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
The HSE must comply with the relevant legislation when considering investment decisions around new medicines. Pharmaceutical companies are required to submit formal applications to the HSE if they wish their medicines to be added to the list of reimbursable items / funded via hospitals. In order to submit a formal application the medicine must hold a marketing authorisation.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a centralised agency of the European Union (EU) responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU. The EMA plays an integral role in the authorisation of medicines in the EU.
Rintatolimod (Ampligen) was designated as an orphan medicine by the EMA for the treatment of Ebola virus disease on 24 April 2015 and for pancreatic cancer on 19 February 2021.
To date the EMA has not granted a marketing authorisation for Rintatolimod (Ampligen®) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, Ebola virus disease or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). As outlined above, the national assessment and decision process cannot commence in the absence of a marketing authorisation.
222. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) will receive an appointment at Crumlin Children’s Hospital for an urgent scope; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11768/23]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
223. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive their long overdue surgery, which they have been awaiting since 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11774/23]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
224. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is being taken off the public list and has been advised to go cross Border as the waiting list with the HSE is over ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11784/23]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
225. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a child (details supplied) cannot stay on the dental public list after accessing treatment under the cross-border healthcare directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11785/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
226. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the rate of theatre utilisation in University Hospital Limerick at Dooradoyle for 2022; and if he will provide the rate of theatre utilisation in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John’s hospitals, respectively, for 2022. [11803/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
227. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of surgeries cancelled at Ennis Hospital in December 2022, January 2023 and February 2023; and if he will provide a breakdown of the surgical procedures cancelled. [11804/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
228. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting on hip and or knee surgery and cataract surgery in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, respectively. [11805/23]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
The information requested by the Deputy regarding number of persons waiting on hip and or knee surgery and cataract surgery in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, is outlined in the table following.
|
Location and procedure |
0-6 Months |
6-12 Months |
12-18 Months |
18+ Months |
Small Volume Time Band |
Grand Total |
|
26/01/2023 |
||||||
|
Clare |
||||||
|
Cataracts |
135 |
53 |
188 |
|||
|
Hips |
17 |
17 |
||||
|
Knees |
17 |
17 |
||||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
8 |
8 |
||||
|
Limerick |
||||||
|
Cataracts |
230 |
144 |
7 |
381 |
||
|
Hips |
37 |
37 |
||||
|
Knees |
34 |
34 |
||||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Tipperary |
||||||
|
Cataracts |
179 |
75 |
6 |
5 |
265 |
|
|
Hips |
48 |
5 |
53 |
|||
|
Knees |
32 |
32 |
||||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
11 |
11 |
229. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health on foot of the National Clinical Programme on Self Harm report, when he proposes to launch the National Traveller and Roma Mental Health Action Plan as agreed in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11829/23]
View answerI note the findings of the recently published research report, which uses evidence from National Clinical Programme on Self-Harm.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Traveller Health Action Plan was launched in November 2022. The Department of Health and the HSE are committed to developing priorities, strategies and actions on Traveller mental health within the framework of the national Traveller Health Action Plan. These will respond to the crisis in Traveller mental health and address the social determinants of Traveller mental health through targeted and mainstreaming measures.
As a first step, the Traveller Health Action Plan contains six actions on Traveller mental health. These will be delivered through the HSE national service plan for 2023, supported by an additional ring-fenced budget of €300,000. The actions reflect the priority status of Travellers in the Government mental health policies - Sharing the Vision and Connecting for Life, and will be reported upon as part of the Sharing the Vision Implementation Plan 2022 - 2024. Progress will also be monitored under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. The Department and the HSE will also engage with the Traveller mental health network to develop and expand the actions as part of a mental health priority plan, within the framework of the Traveller health action plan. The newly established HSE steering group on Traveller mental health will consult with the Traveller mental health network on this task. Traveller representatives have been invited to be part of the group.
I welcome the increased focus in the area of Traveller mental health and I look forward to the progression of this workstream.
230. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health if he plans to introduce an ethnic identifier in coroner courts’ reporting and in Irish health services as a core data item; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11830/23]
View answerAwaiting reply from the Department.
231. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health in recognition of Travellers as a priority group as being at an increased risk of suicidal behaviour when he will instruct the Connecting for Life Advisory Group established in 2020 to meet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11831/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
