Vol. 537 No. 5
343 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department will provide a service to facilitate the early diagnosis of diabetes; his views on whether complications of diabetes consume approximately 10% of the healthcare budget, that these complications are mainly preventable and that there are approximately 125,000 diabetics who are undiagnosed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16878/01]
The provision of the service referred to by the Deputy is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant health board. While the statistical information referred to by the Deputy is not available on a routine basis in my Department, the report of the St. Vincent declaration action group, which I have recently received, makes a number of comments and recommendations in relation to the primary, secondary and tertiary care of diabetes sufferers. These will be considered in the context of developments in these sectors.
