Ceist:
164 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the total cost incurred by the health services due to drug addiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17356/00]
Written Answers. - Drug Addiction.
It is not possible to estimate the cost incurred by the health service due to drug addiction with any degree of accuracy. Since 1996 a total additional sum of around £24 million has been allocated to drugs and HIV/AIDS services in health boards. However, it would be impossible to estimate the cost of treatment of drug users who are admitted to hospital or attend general practitioners as a direct result of taking drugs.
Ireland is participating in activities being co-ordinated by the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction – EMCDDA – on estimating the amount of public spending on drugs. Projects initiated by the centre during 1999 include a network of modelling costs of drug use and cost effectiveness of interventions. Through this project the EMCDDA has created an expert network for estimating costs of problem drug use and cost-effectiveness of interventions using dynamic models. The network on costs consists of three working groups, one on epidemiological and social aspects, one on dynamic modelling and one on economic aspects. The work initially concentrated on the health costs of hepatitis C and B and HIV, while the work will be extended to cover all social costs of all aspects of drug use. The centre, as well as using EU data, will also link with US experts in the field. The timespan for the project is December 1998 to December 2000. This specialist project is at the initial stages of developing methodologies to estimate the impact and costs of various aspects of the drug problem.
The management board of the EMCDDA, of which Ireland is a member, and member state focal points, which in Ireland's case is the health research board will be kept appraised of developments in this project and its outcome should assist member states to develop reliable and comprehensive estimates of the cost of drug misuse, using common criteria.
Research into the cost of illegal drug misuse has been listed as a priority for attention for the proposed advisory group on drugs.