Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:1 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he has satisfied himself with the thrust of the Government's AIDS campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - AIDS Campaign.
My Department has been pursuing an active HIV-AIDS Strategy since the infection became known in the early 1980s. This strategy has been developed since then in line with national and international requirements and was given an impetus in 1992 with the establishment of an intersectoral, expert group, known as the National AIDS Strategy Committee. The committee conducted a thorough examination of the whole area of HIV-AIDS under the following headings: care and management of persons with HIV-AIDS; education and prevention strategies; measures to avoid discrimination against persons with HIV-AIDS and HIV-AIDS surveillance.
The recommendations made in each of these areas assisted me in allocating substantial additional funding to develop HIV-AIDS programmes and services since 1992. The funding allowed a number of innovative measures to be introduced including: the establishment of community-based primary care clinics to help prevent the spread of infection and to provide a wide range of services at primary level in the Eastern Health Board area, including services to drug abusers; the creation of a new infectious diseases consultant post in the MaterBeaumont Hospitals to provide a HIV-AIDS service; the provision of capital and human resources in other acute hospitals, such as St. James's Hospital, Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, Cork Regional Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway; support for existing services both statutory and voluntary, in the Eastern, Mid-Western, Southern and Western Health Board areas; the implementation of a new comprehensive nationwide HIV-surveillance programme to assess more accurately the spread of the infection as a basis for the planning of programmes and services; the amendment of the family planning legislation to allow for easy access to condoms generally and for condoms to be distributed free of charge to particular atrisk groups, and the delivery of regular public information programmes.
A feature of the AIDS Strategy is the emphasis placed on prevention through education and this is being implemented in the formal educational system, through the AIDS Information Programme developed jointly by the Departments of Health and Education. I am satisfied that the Government's AIDS Strategy provides a comprehensive, cohesive framework for action in this area and that it will form the basis for continuing action, both preventative and treatment-based, in this area.
I thank the Minister for his very kind remarks and I look forward to fruitful and beneficial exchanges with him. Has the Minister evaluated the effectiveness of the AIDS awareness programme? Has he appointed a national co-ordinator who may be in a position to indicate the benefit of the actions taken so far?
I chair the national committee and while we have retained the services of the former national co-ordinator on a consultative basis, I am satisfied that ongoing monitoring at health board level, co-ordinated directly by my Department, is the best way to provide the service. On the evaluation of AIDS awareness programmes, last year a new type of programme was embarked upon which was initially resisted by individuals in the media but proved to be an impacted programme. It is very difficult to say whether that programme reached all the at-risk groups. We will be renewing the programme this year and will learn from the information gathered from last year's programme.
Would the Minister agree it would be better to appoint an individual with precise responsibility in that area, such as a national AIDS co-ordinator? As such an appointment was envisaged, has the Minister changed his mind in that regard? Will he indicate whether he and his Department have got ahead of the problem in terms of identification of the scale of infection and spread of the disease, so that the public can be given some idea as to the progress, if any, of the programme?
It is a matter of debate as to whether one individual should co-ordinate the whole strategy. The strategy is based on our components, each of which is monitored by a sub-committee which meets regularly. That is the way to proceed rather than appoint one person with general responsibility in this area. Ultimately, it is my responsibility to ensure there is in place a cohesive and effective campaign. We have clear information on the people who are most at risk in the community. I have had discussions with, for example, representatives of the gay community to work out a more effective Outreach programme to support them. I have also considered campaigns to outreach intravenous drug abusers in Dublin, who are a significant source of infection, with a view to ensuring safer practices in that area. A multi-sectoral approach needs to be taken to this issue, co-ordinated by the committee and subcommittees which are, ultimately, answerable to me.
I wish to ask one more question.
I am sorry, Deputy. We have five questions to dispose of and we cannot delay unduly long on any one question as that would be to the detriment of other questions.
It is a very brief question. Will the Minister indicate the projected number of people suffering from AIDS in, say, five years and ten years time?
That matter is worthy of a separate question.