Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 2001

Vol. 543 No. 1

Written Answers. - Emergency Response.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

140 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the role he will play in co-ordinating efforts in the activation of major accident or disaster plans; the extent to which overall responsibility in these matters rests with his Department; his plan or plans to meet the requirements of such a situation; the anticipated call-out time of the various services under his control; if he has satisfied himself regarding the adequacy of such plans at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23525/01]

Gay Mitchell

Ceist:

176 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the role his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department have in preparing for a major national emergency. [25728/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 176 together.

In 1984, the Government approved a framework for a co-ordinated response to major emergencies. The purpose was to establish common procedures in each of the front-line emergency services for activating emergency plans and co-ordination, control and co-operation during peacetime emergencies.

The Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, and each of the health boards has an emergency plan which is based on this framework. The main aim of the plans is to ensure that the health service is in a position to mobilise all necessary and available resources and to utilise these to best advantage so that the resulting response will be appropriate, structured, co-ordinated and effectively managed. The emergency plan can be activated by the ambulance service, fire service or the Garda. In the case of the health services, the ambulance controllers notify designated hospitals in the health board area in which the emergency plan is activated.

The principal functions of the health services at the site of an incident include assessment, triage, treatment, transport, safety and communications.

At hospital level the emergency plan is designed to deal with the receipt and treatment of patients in the event of the occurrence of a major incident. The aim is to ensure that hospitals are in a position to mobilise all necessary and available resources and to utilise these to the best advantage in order to provide appropriate treatment to incoming casualties.

The chief executive officers of the ERHA and the health boards are in the process of establishing a national group to review all aspects of major emergency planning in the health context. This review will inform the need for any revision to the existing plans. Future responsibility for overseeing the major emergency planning function will be assumed by the new health board executive, HeBE.

In addition, and at my request, a committee under the chairmanship of the Director of the Virus Reference Laboratory was recently established to prepare an operational plan which would be implemented in the event of a biological attack on this country. This committee recently prepared a protocol for dealing with suspected cases of anthrax in Ireland. The protocol deals with the procedures to be adopted in the event of a suspected release of anthrax and in particular patient treatment and management, post exposure guidelines etc. Included with the protocol are guidelines for individuals and companies on how to deal with suspect packages believed to contain anthrax.

The protocol is a work in progress and is being revised on an ongoing basis as a result of feedback to the committee. The protocol and guidelines are available on my Department's website www.doh.ie.

In the event of a nuclear incident, the role of the health services under the national nuclear emergency plan relates primarily to the following areas: determining health problems and issuing of medical advice, provision of medical services at designated hospitals for contaminated persons including whole body monitoring, provision of ambulance services to transport injured persons to hospitals, collecting food samples for analysis by the Radiological Protection Institute, seizure and destruction of contaminated milk and foodstuffs and stocking and distribution of stable iodine tablets should this be necessary.

Only the most severe nuclear accidents will require the use of iodine tablets. Ingestion of iodine tablets may be effective in preventing thyroid cancer in certain populations, especially children exposed to radioactive fallout. The necessity of continued stocking of iodine tablets as part of the health input into the national nuclear emergency plan was reviewed as part of an update of the overall plan which is co-ordinated by the Department of Public Enterprise. It was recommended that new stocks of iodine tablets should be purchased and pre-distributed as a more effective counter measure. I have accepted this recommendation and my Department is making the necessary arrangements as a matter of urgency for tendering and purchasing of new stocks. The procedures laid down under Directive 93/36/EEC which allow for an accelerated tendering process with regard to the award of public supply contracts are being followed to purchase these stocks at the earliest possible opportunity. The European Commission has been notified of our invitation to tender for the supply of ten million iodide or iodate tablets. The deadline for submission of tenders is 13 November 2001. Furthermore, it is proposed to amend the relevant statutory instrument regarding the necessity for a product

authorisation for this type of product to allow for quicker replacement of existing stocks.