Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 7

Written Answers. - Drug Treatment Services.

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

133 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children the capacity of drug treatment programmes in the Eastern Health Board area at any one time; the numbers waiting to be placed on a programme; the funding available from his Department to the Eastern Health Board for drug treatment programmes in 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27171/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The Eastern Health Board provides drug treatment, mainly for opiate misuse, through 53 treatment locations, with further services provided through 121 general practitioners and 151 local pharmacies. A total of 4,173 persons in the EHB area are on the central methadone treatment list, with the capacity for more people to be provided with treatment if more GPs and pharmacies were recruited into the methadone programme or if GPs and pharmacists with small numbers would take more patients into treatment.

Detoxification services are provided at Cuan Dara in Cherry Orchard Hospital and Beaumont Hospital, where a total of 27 beds are available. Downstream detoxification facilities are also available through Merchants Quay Project at High Park in Drumcondra, which has 12 beds. A further downstream detoxification unit with 20 beds will shortly open in St. Mary's Hospital, with a 12 bed in-patient stabilisation unit being developed at Cherry Orchard Hospital. A number of persons are also in drug free facilities in Cuan Mhuire in Athy, Coolmine Therapeutic Community and the Rutland Centre. The health board refers people to such facilities when this type of treatment is clinically indicated. There are just over 400 people on waiting lists for drug treatment in the Eastern Health Board area. The waiting list this time last year was around 600.

A sum of £3 million additional funding was provided to the board in 1999 for drug treatment services, bringing its total allocation for drugs and AIDS services to £17.615 million in 1999. Although significant progress has been made during 1999, with the establishment of ten new treatment locations and five additional detoxification beds, further expansion of services is required in 2000 to cater for treatment needs.

A review of drug treatment services in the Eastern Health Board area has just been completed by an independent evaluator on behalf of the health board. I await the results of this review which should assist service providers to focus on the areas of greatest need in the board's 2000 service plan, with the ultimate aim of providing appropriate, timely treatment, after-care and rehabilitation services to everyone who needs such services.