Written Answers Nos. 1278-1297
1278. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the details of the support the HSE provided to Marymount Hospice, Cork, in January 2021 in the context of a Covid outbreak in the facility; the dates on which the HSE was informed of the outbreak; the dates on which supports were offered and provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12732/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1279. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the number of residents and the number of staff of Marymount Hospice, Cork, who contracted Covid in January 2021; the exact dates these positive Covid test cases were reported to the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12733/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1280. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the number of residents and the number of staff of St. Stephen's Hospital, Glanmire, who contracted Covid in January 2021; the exact dates these positive Covid tests were reported to the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12734/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1281. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the exact dates in 2021 on which ground floor staff, including nurses, healthcare assistants, catering and housekeeping staff of Marymount Hospice, Cork, were offered first-dose Covid vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12735/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1282. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will outline proposals to abolish inpatient charges, if he will provide information (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12738/23]
View answerThe Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the State are eligible, subject to certain charges, for public in-patient hospital services including consultant services. Currently, all persons accessing public acute in-patient services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory in-patient daily charge of €80 up to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months, subject to a number of exemptions, such as medical card holders. As part of Budget 2023, I announced my commitment to abolish all public inpatient hospital charges this year. The Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 has recently been published and, when enacted, will remove the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 in a year, for people accessing care as a public patient in public hospitals. I intend to commence passage of this Bill in the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.
In relation to the specific question raised, as this is an operational matter, I have also asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1283. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will urgently reinstate primary care services at Clonbrusk Primary Care Centre, Athlone, for all service users who have recently had their service transferred to Longford Primary Care Centre; and if he is aware that the primary care centre in Longford has had a substantial increase in service users without any additional resources being put in place to this point. [12742/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1284. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify when the proposed primary care centre for Ballymahon, County Longford, will be operational and fully staffed; if he agrees that primary care service users who had been attendees at Clonbrusk Primary Care Centre, Athlone, should be reinstated at that facility until such time as the Ballymahon service is operational. [12743/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, I have asked the HSE to reply to the deputy as soon as possible.
1285. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of autistic individuals and individuals with autism with an intellectual disability who are attending CAMHS or are under CAMHS remit in each CHO. [12793/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1286. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address concerns expressed by an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the ongoing issue of medicine shortages. [12794/23]
View answerMedicine supply issues and their prevention are not unique to Ireland. Similar increases in demand and medicines supply issues have been observed in the UK, throughout the EU and across the world at present. In the case of medicines used most often in Ireland, there are typically multiple alternatives available from various sources that remain available to ensure continuity of treatment. Of the products currently in short supply, alternative treatments are available for every single product.
Management of medicine supply issues necessitates a multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder response to ensure patient safety, continuity of care and protection of public health. To that end, at the request of the Department of Health, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has assumed a coordinating function in Ireland’s response to managing medicine shortages when they occur.
The HPRA publishes a list of medicines currently in short supply on its website with the reason for the shortage and expected dates for the return of supply. The information is available to assist healthcare professionals in managing medicine shortages when they arise and reduce their impact on patients. The information relating to shortages on the HPRA website is dynamic and changes depending on the current information the HPRA has to hand, including removal from the list when a shortage has been resolved. Of those medicines listed as in short supply at the end of January, the most common reasons provided to the HPRA were manufacturing delays and unexpected increases in demand.
Two new Framework Agreements on Pricing and Supply of Medicines 2021-2025 were signed in December 2021. These Agreements provide stability to the medicines reimbursement market for the State and for Industry, thus facilitating sustainable and affordable access to medicines for patients in Ireland over the next 4 years.
Negotiations towards these new Agreements with industry began in May 2021, against a backdrop of a growing annual drugs budget, up from €1.95bn in 2016 to almost €2.25bn by 2020.
The multiannual agreements with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and Medicines for Ireland (MFI) represent an important step in facilitating access to innovative new medicines for patients. The IPHA represent the originator and on-patent biopharmaceutical industry; MFI represent the non-originator, and off-patent biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland.
There are a number of clauses set out in both agreements in detail, which provide clear pricing rules for applicant companies, that have been agreed between the State and main Pharmaceutical Industry representative groups in Ireland as appropriate and intended to provide a predictable environment for Marketing Authorisation Holders (MAHs) to supply their products (and prevent shortages). These are grossly summarised as:
1. The pricing application form for new medicines is based on a basket of 14 countries (13 EU Member States and the UK). Pricing is permitted to be no more than the average price based on the pricing in these 14 countries.
2. The pricing of non-patented medicines (i.e., generic, biosimilar or hybrid medicine marketed in Ireland) is based on the originator medicine at a specific time point.
Under the terms of the agreement, there is scope for the Department of Health, the HSE, and industry to continue to maintain their engagement throughout the lifetime of the agreement on all matters pertaining to the agreement.
In the interests of continuity of supply, where it becomes uneconomic for a Supplier to supply a particular medicine under the terms of the Agreements, direct representations may be made by the Supplier to the HSE for variation of any term of the Agreement, in relation to that medicine, including its price terms. Where representations are made by the Supplier to the HSE, the HSE shall have the final decision on whether to vary the terms of the Agreement in any case, but will consult with the Supplier before reaching its decision. The HSE expects a robust submission of evidence to support any claim, from any Supplier, in the event that they wish to set out to the Executive an inability to meet pricing terms set out in said Agreements.
As of 16th March 2023, there are 25 applications from manufacturers/suppliers currently under review by the HSE, for a pricing increase request related to a claim of increased cost of goods, making continuity of supply to the Irish market and Irish patients unsustainable.
In the case of such pricing increase requests the time taken to adjudicate on these is highly variable (on a case-by-case basis) and dependent on a number of factors, that the HSE is required to consider including the number of alternative suppliers for that medicine, the potential alternative therapeutic options, the clinical need for the product, the potential budget impact, and European pricing.
The HSE also takes an active role at the time of notification, in engaging with manufacturers/suppliers intending to discontinue priority medicines due to the lack of commercial viability of those products. In many of the cases where this arises as a scenario, the commercial decision relates to global discontinuations and is outside of the control of the HSE i.e., cannot be addressed through pricing increases at a national level.
The Agreements are the product of extensive collaboration between the State, HSE, and Industry. They remain current and appropriate for their purpose since their signing in December 2021.
1287. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that all the details concerning SouthDoc centres are up to date on the official website. [12795/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1288. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to provide timely treatment for persons diagnosed with adenomyosis. [12797/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1289. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the number of people on waiting lists to see a gynaecologist in CHO 5; and the breakdown of waiting times on a quarterly basis, in tabular form. [12798/23]
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 at the following link outlines the number of people on gynaecology waiting lists, broken down by area of residence for counties within the CHO5 Area.
1290. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure workers in section 39 (Health Act 2004) organisations receive the same annual leave entitlements as workers in section 38 organisations. [12799/23]
View answerUnder section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE provides financial assistance to organisations to provide services similar or supplementary to a service that the HSE may provide. However, Section 39 organisations are privately owned and run and their terms and conditions of employment, such as annual leave entitlements, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between the employer and the employee.
1291. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health when an HSE employee (details supplied) will receive their Covid bonus payment. [12803/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
I would also like to remind the Deputy that it is against Department policy to comment on individual cases.
1292. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the absolute number of people who started radiation therapy for cancer treatment, and if they started within the recommended timeframe, for each month between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12819/23]
View answer1293. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of appointment slots available per month for people to receive radical radiotherapy between 1 January 2016 to date, in tabular form. [12820/23]
View answer1294. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of full-time equivalent radiation therapists required to ensure people with cancer start radiation therapy within the required timeframe. [12821/23]
View answer1295. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of full-time equivalent radiation therapists working in the public health system to provide radiation therapy to cancer patients at the end of each of the years 2016 to 2022. [12822/23]
View answer1296. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of full-time equivalent radiation therapists working in each of the public hospitals at the end of each of the years 2013 to 2023. [12823/23]
View answer1298. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people who started radiation therapy for cancer treatment within the recommended timeframe, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12825/23]
View answer1299. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people with skin cancer who started radiation therapy within the recommended timeframe, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12826/23]
View answer1300. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people with breast cancer who started radiation therapy within the recommended timeframe to start radiation therapy, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12827/23]
View answer1301. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people with prostate cancer who started radiation therapy within the recommended timeframe to start radiation therapy, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12828/23]
View answer1302. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people with cervical cancer who started radiation therapy within the recommended timeframe to start radiation therapy, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12829/23]
View answer1303. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people with head and neck cancer who started radiation therapy within the recommended timeframe to start radiation therapy, on a monthly basis, between 1 January 2019 to date, in tabular form. [12830/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1292 to 1296, inclusive, and 1298 to 1303, inclusive, together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
1297. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total amount paid to the private healthcare sector to provide radiation therapy to cancer patients from the public health system via the National Treatment Purchase Fund or other payment mechanisms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12824/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
