Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:402 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health and Children when a heart and lung transplant unit will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21111/98]
Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
The Deputy will be aware that the programme for Government, An Action Plan for the Millennium, contains a specific commitment to support the establishment of a heart and lung transplant facility in Ireland. Various steps are being taken to follow through on this commitment and ensure the introduction as soon as practicable of this new and highly complex service.
An expert group was set up, comprising key personnel from the Mater and St. Vincent's Hospitals, Dublin and officials from this Department to examine the existing level of service for Irish patients. The group has undertaken a detailed examination of heart/lung transplant services in the UK to establish whether the existing service can be improved in any way for Irish patients, while our own programme is being established. The group has held discussions with four UK centres in recent months in this regard with a view to establishing a contractual arrangement with one of the centres for the treatment of Irish patients. This work is at an advanced stage and I anticipate it will be completed in the coming weeks.
In terms of advancing the local arrangements required to establish an Irish based programme, I announced in recent months, as part of the launch of a national strategy on cardiovascular health, that the Mater Hospital has been designated as the surgical site in Ireland for heart and lung transplants. The Mater Hospital will provide this service, in association with other key service providers, in particular St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, which as the Deputy knows is the major centre in Ireland for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The Mater Hospital, at the Department's request, is co-ordinating and preparing a detailed examination of the infrastructural and service issues involved in developing the programme. It is anticipated that a full submission will be available to the Department in a matter of weeks.
A critical factor in the establishment of a successful programme in Ireland will be the training of the surgical, medical, nursing and support staff who will operate the unit. It will be necessary to ensure that staff are equipped with the skills necessary to achieve results for the programme which are at least on a par with the best international standards. It has been estimated that an initial training programme, linked with the UK, and lasting approximately two years will be required to ensure that staff are properly trained.
I assure the Deputy that the establishment of a heart/lung transplant unit is being treated as a top priority and the importance attaching to the project has been emphasised to all parties involved. My Department will continue to work with the Cystic Fibrosis Association and other interested groups in implementing the new heart/lung transplant programme.