Health Committee to continue discussions on organ donation

The Committee will consider the medical perspective first, followed by the policy perspective,

Those addressing the meeting are:

Session A: 9:30 - 11.30 a.m. Medical Perspective – Professor David Hickey, Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Professor Peter Conlon, Consultant, Nephrologist and Dr James O'Rourke, Beaumont Hospital; Dr Colman O'Loughlin, Consultant, Mater Hospital; Dr Ruairi Dwyer, Intensive Care Society of Ireland; Dr Liam Plant, National Director of Renal Office, Cork University Hospital; Dr Brian O'Brien, President Intensive Care Society of Ireland, Cork University Hospital; JP McDowell, Partner, McDowell Purcell Solicitors; and

Session B: 11.45 a.m. - 13.45 p.m. Policy Perspective - Mary Jackson, Principal Officer, Department of Health; Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan, Special Advisor, Department of Health; Professor Jim Egan, Director of Transplantation; Dr Paddy Costello, Irish Medicines Board.

Committee Chairman, Jerry Buttimer TD said: “Following on from our meeting last week with GAA All Star Joe Brolly and the man to whom he donated a kidney, Shane Finnegan, as part of their campaign to raise the profile of organ donation, as well as other organ transplant recipients, the Irish Donor Network, the Irish Kidney Association, the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association and the National Organ Procurement Service, tomorrow we will continue our series of consultations to examine the issues around our approach to organ donation.

We are looking forward to meeting with a wide variety of experts in the medical and policy fields to consider the medical and policy perspectives of organ donation in Ireland. It’s a chance for the Committee to consider organ donation in more detail and for members to raise any issues in relation to our approach to organ donation or plans for changes in the system.”

The meeting takes place tomorrow, Thursday, 25th April, 2013 at 9.30 am in Committee Room 2, LH 2000, Leinster House.

Committee proceedings can be followed live at:  http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/watchlisten/

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

ENDS

Committee Membership:

Deputies

Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael
Catherine Byrne, Fine Gael
Michael Colreavy, Sinn Fein
Ciara Conway, Labour Party
Regina Doherty, Fine Gael
Robert Dowds, Labour Party
Peter Fitzpatrick, Fine Gael
Seamus Healy, Independent
Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil
Eamonn Maloney, Labour Party
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Fine Gael
Mattie McGrath, Independent
Denis Naughten, Independent
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Sinn Fein
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil

Senators

Colm Burke, Fine Gael
John Crown, Independent
John Gilroy, Labour Party
Imelda Henry, Fine Gael
Marc Mac Sharry, Fine Fail
Jillian Van Turnhout, Independent