asked the Minister for Health the progress, if any, that has been made in reducing the very high level of drug consumption in this country in recent years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Drug Problem.
11.
In the absence of detailed information on the consumption of drugs and medicines in the private sector it is not possible to assess trends in recent years with any great accuracy. From the information available about the General Medical Service it appears that prescription numbers have stabilised. There was a slight decrease in 1979 over the previous year. It is too soon yet to say if this trend will continue in the present year.
Consideration is now being given to further approaches aimed at reducing the level of prescribing in the General Medical Service. Hopefully any reductions here will be reflected also in private practice prescribing.
Could the Minister say whether the General Medical Service Payments Board contacted doctors with a view to having them reduce the level and the type of drugs prescribed in recent years?
On a monthly basis each doctor is given information on his prescribing rate and the rate for his health board and the national figure with a view to assisting him in his prescribing pattern. If the levels are excessively high the matter is taken up with the doctor in question.
Was concern not expressed by the General Medical Service Payments Board and the Health Education Bureau about the high level of drugs prescribed and consumed in the past 18 months?
Yes?
Why did the Minister not say that in the answer in the first place?
The question asks the Minister the progress, if any, that has been made in reducing the level. I gave the progress in relation to the General Medical Service on which we have definite factual information. In relation to private practice we have not got that kind of information. Hopefully there is a parallel reduction in that area. A variety of steps have been taken. A series of bar charts was circulated to GMS doctors showing the comparative prices of drugs available under the different therapeutic classes. As the Deputy mentioned, the Health Education Bureau have been undertaking a programme to try to discourage the over-prescription of drugs. A number of other steps have been taken which may be relevant to a later question. Steps have been taken through the organisation of seminars and so on to try to reduce the overall level of prescribing. Other proposals are being considered at present.
12.
asked the Minister for Health the new measures, if any, he intends to introduce to extend the level of education on the subject of drugs within the classroom and in the community as a whole.
The Health Education Bureau, in co-operation with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, recently completed a training course for 30 community pharmacists from all areas of the country on the subject of substance abuse, including drugs. It is intended that these pharmacists will be available within a radius of 30 miles in each health board area to parent-teacher associations and other interested community groups in order to provide education on the proper use of medicines and on substance abuse. Standardised educational material has been developed for this purpose.
Education on drugs is an integral part of the health education programme in schools. It has been a feature of courses on teaching skills and practices in health education which the bureau organised this year for 200 primary and post-primary school teachers.
The bureau will shortly be publishing a booklet dealing with education on substance abuse.
Would the Minister consider that some of the education in the abuse of various substances could be extended from the teachers to the pupils? Would he consider sympathetically the suggestion that a special supplement might be included in a future issue of "Young Citizens", for example, in this area?
I will certainly take up that suggestion. One of the main aspects those concerned will take into consideration is bringing education on drugs into general education as far as possible, and not separating it to highlight it, because they feel there could be disadvantages in doing that.
Would the Minister agree that it would be appropriate for teachers to have some training in this area at the point at which they are becoming trained as teachers and not when they are three, four or five years into the teaching process, when many of their teaching habits and their assumptions will be well-established?
This would be a natural extension of the work the Health Education Bureau have been doing. In recent times it has been a feature of courses on teaching skills and practices in health education which the bureau have organised for teachers. I agree with the Deputy that it would be worth while introducing it early in teacher training. The Medical Social Research Board are carrying out a survey on post-primary children in the Dublin city and county area in relation to cigarette smoking, alcohol, drug abuse and leisure time studies which should provide some useful information.