Vol. 457 No. 8
96 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has to make resources available to the Mater Hospital, Dublin, to commence lung transplant and heart and lung transplant programmes; and the amount being given to such programme. [16498/95]
Limerick East): Setting up a successful transplant programme for any specialty is an extremely complex and difficult task. It is essential to have suitably trained staff, infrastructure and back-up resources to ensure successful outcomes. The Department's recent experience with the liver transplant programme and its establishment in Ireland bears this out.
The feasibility of commencing a lung/heart lung transplant programme in Ireland is being examined by my Department. The question of a commencement of such a programme must take account of the views of appropriate clinicians in the area and the availability of resources in the context of the many competing demands for development in the health services.
