Written Answers Nos. 1656-1670
1656. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting 12 hours or more at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, in each of the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and to date in 2023. [17618/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1657. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite the process to include the cancer medicine, verzenios, for reimbursement under the medicine access scheme for persons diagnosed with breast cancer. [17621/23]
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.
1658. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant optometry and ophthalmology roles in primary care services by CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17623/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1659. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant psychology roles in children's primary care services by CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17625/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1660. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant speech and language therapy roles in children's primary care services by CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17627/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1661. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant physiotherapy roles in children's primary care services by CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17629/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1662. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment for hip surgery at Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar; if a referral to another hospital was considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17631/23]
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.
1663. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if he has read reports of concerns that abortion services in Ireland may collapse [17633/23]
View answerIt is a priority for the Minister that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is performing as it should be, to enable all women in Ireland to access services quickly and easily, without bias or judgment.
There is regular ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to facilitate the operation of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise, and this will continue, to ensure the roll-out of these healthcare services.
The service has embedded well into wider health sector, and the Minister is committed to ensuring it is available to those who may need it.
In addition, the Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 commenced in line with statutory and Government commitments in December 2021. The Review assessed the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation. The purpose of the review is to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the legislation in practice, as well as the delivery of services in the area.
The Minister has received the final Report of the Review in recent weeks and is now making the necessary arrangements to submit it for the consideration of the Government.
1664. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to update policies around doctors providing locum GP services, particularly around hourly locum rates and doctors' eligibility to locum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17637/23]
View answerGPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold a GMS contract with the HSE for the provision of GP services to medical card and GP visit card holders. The GMS contract sets out a GP's requirements under their contract including the number of hours the GP is to make themselves available for consultations with eligible patients.
As private practitioners, the provision of GP locum services by GPs is a private matter between the GP and the contracting body concerned. GP out of hours cooperatives, which are largely private entities, recruit locum GPs to supplement the provision of out of hours services. The HSE also avails of locum GPs to provide continuity of care for patients following the retirement of a GP from the GMS scheme while a permanent GP is being recruited.
Under the GMS scheme, the HSE makes a contribution to eligible GMS GPs towards locum expenses for leave taking purposes. The contribution amount for maternity leave, and the contribution amount for paternity leave as well as the leave duration, was increased under the 2019 GP Agreement.
1665. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of shortages of a medication (details supplied); and if measures can be put in place to alleviate this shortage. [17638/23]
View answerShortages of the diabetes medicine Ozempic are linked to the increased demand which has been attributed to the off-label use of the product to treat obesity.
Novo Nordisk, the marketing authorisation holder for Ozempic, has notified the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) of intermittent supply issues with Ozempic products due to increased global demand. The company anticipates that intermittent supply will continue throughout 2023. Similar supply constraints are being experienced in other EU countries.
Novo Nordisk has implemented monthly allocations to help ensure continuity of supply and equitable distribution of Ozempic stock to Irish patients. The company has issued letters to relevant stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, to ensure they are aware of this supply issue and its management.
Information relating to medicines shortages, including particular information relating to Ozempic, can be found on the HPRA's website (Medicines Shortages (hpra.ie). Information on shortages 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.
1666. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people on waiting lists for diagnostic scan services at CHI Crumlin, by type, by wait length time band, and by adult/child, in tabular form. [17645/23]
View answerIn 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.
1667. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health in respect of the new two-storey laboratory extension at University Hospital Waterford which has received planning permission from the Waterford local authority, if he will confirm the status of this project with respect to ring-fenced funding, tender development and contract award and this project's status within the 2023 capital plan (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17647/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
1668. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will instruct the HSE to install mother-and-baby carpark spaces in the primary care centre, Tuam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17651/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the maintenance of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1669. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) can be facilitated with the PCSK9 inhibitor drug; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17662/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (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.
HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds, on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE). There are formal processes which govern applications for the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, and new uses of existing medicines, to be funded and/or reimbursed.
Reimbursement of PCSK9 inhibitors, alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab (Repatha) is supported under the High Tech Arrangement via a Managed Access Protocol overseen by the HSE-Medicines Management Programme.
Under the Managed Access Protocol for PCSK9 Inhibitors, reimbursement is supported for the following subgroups of the licensed population:
adults with a confirmed diagnosis of myocardial infarction +/- revascularisation procedures, non-haemorrhagic stroke or peripheral arterial disease (i.e. secondary prevention), or who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft, with a LDL-C persistently 3.5 mmol/L
adults with a confirmed diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) with a LDL-C persistently 4 mmol/L.
Both (1) and (2) would be despite optimum use of lipid-lowering therapy (atorvastatin/rosuvastatin + ezetimibe) or in the setting of confirmed intolerance to lipid-lowering therapy.
The Managed Access Protocol, which outlines in detail the criteria that must be satisfied in order for a patient to be approved for reimbursement of a PCSK9 inhibitor under the High Tech Arrangement, is available on the website of the HSE-Medicines Management Programme:
www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/cspd/ncps/medicines-management/managed-access-protocols/pcsk9-inhibitors/
The medical decision to prescribe or not prescribe any treatment for an individual patient is strictly a decision for the treating clinician, in consultation with their patient. The Minister for Health has no role in this clinical decision-making process. In addition, Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 prohibits 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.
1670. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that the cath lab and full array of diagnostic cardiac services are now fully operational at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will outline his plans to further develop cardiac services at Letterkenny University Hospital. [17674/23]
View answerReferring to HSE as this is an operational matter.
