Written Answers Nos. 337-351
337. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a date for a medical procedure in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3305/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
338. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hearing aid in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3306/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive Community Audiology service administers and monitors hearing tests for adults who are at risk for hearing loss. Appointments for the audiology service are sent in a strict chronology according to clinical priorities and date of receipt of referral. The HSE has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to you as soon as possible. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
339. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the recent Health Information and Quality Authority reports into centres run by an organisation (details supplied) in County Cork; if a timeframe for rectifying issues that HIQA identified has been provided; the number of persons who may have been subject to assault in these centres; if there are plans to address staffing issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3309/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed that the Health Information and Quality Authority has published a number of inspection reports on the organisation (as per detailed supplied), covering different designated centres within that organisation.
All HIQA findings are detailed in the reports as are the actions that must be taken by the provider or person in charge of a designated centre to ensure compliance with the Health Act 2007 (Care and Support of Residents in Designated Centres for Persons (Children And Adults) With Disabilities) Regulations 2013, Health Act 2007 (Registration of Designated Centres for Persons (Children and Adults) with Disabilities) Regulations 2013 and the National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities.
340. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Health the circumstances where the families of recently deceased victims of symphysiotomy can establish an entitlement to redress under the scheme of redress as announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3311/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 38 of the Terms of the Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme, states that the right to seek payment under the terms of the Scheme is personal to the Applicant and is therefore contingent on the Applicant being alive to accept the offer of any award. If therefore, an Applicant dies at any time after application and before she has accepted an award, the claim shall lapse and the Applicant’s estate and her spouse and/or members of her family shall not be entitled to any award or payment under this Scheme. In these circumstances, the Assessor retains discretion regarding payment of the costs of the Application where the Applicant has retained a solicitor. The Assessor’s decision under this paragraph shall be final and not subject to appeal.
Section 39 of the Terms of the Scheme states that if an Applicant has accepted an award and has satisfied all the other conditions of acceptance but dies before payment of the award has been made by the Minister, then such award shall upon her death become payable to her estate and be recoverable in due course by her legal personal representative(s) as a simple contract debt due by the Minister to the Applicant's estate.
I hope this clarifies the matter for you.
341. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the availability of a drug (details supplied) used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3312/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
The decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer, are not political or ministerial decisions. These are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds by the Health Service Executive on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics.
The HSE received an application for the inclusion of Fampridine in the GMS and community drugs schemes. The application was considered in line with the procedures and timescales agreed by the Department of Health and the HSE with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association for the assessment of new medicines.
In accordance with these procedures, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics conducted a pharmacoeconomic evaluation of Fampridine and concluded that, as the manufacturer was unable to demonstrate sufficient effectiveness and a fair price for Fampridine in the Irish healthcare setting, it was unable to recommend the reimbursement of the product. The report is available on the NCPE's website (www.ncpe.ie ).
On foot of this, the HSE decided that it was not in a position to add the drug to the List of Reimbursable Items supplied under the GMS and other community drug schemes.
It is open to the supplier, at any time, to submit a new application to the HSE for the inclusion of Fampridine on the community drugs schemes incorporating new evidence which demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of the drug, by offering a reduced price or both. A revised application was received by the HSE on 25th July 2014. The HSE has since been engaging with the company seeking an improved commercial offering. These engagements have been completed and the HSE is now considering the outcome of those commercial engagements. Fampridine will be assessed along with a range of other applications for reimbursement of medicines for multiple sclerosis and other diseases.
342. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of generic substitution; if a doctor can dictate on a prescription that a certain medication is to be dispensed if it is felt that this is a more appropriate medication for a specific patient despite there being alternative generic medications; if these patients will have the higher cost met if they are medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3314/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health (Pricing and Supply of Medicines) Act 2013 provides the statutory basis for the introduction of a system of generic substitution and reference pricing.
Under the legislation, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has statutory responsibility for establishing and maintaining a list of interchangeable medical products. In doing so, the HPRA is required to have regard to a comprehensive set of qualifying conditions, all of which must be complied with before a decision is taken to make a medicinal product interchangeable.
Reference pricing involves the setting of a common reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable products. It means that one reference price is set for each group or list of interchangeable medicines, and this is the price the HSE will reimburse to pharmacists for all medicines in the group, regardless of the individual medicine's prices.
For any medicine that is listed as being interchangeable the legislation provides that a Pharmacist may offer a generic or alternative version of the branded medicine which is set at the reference price. Eligible patients using State drug schemes like the Medical Card or Drugs Payment Scheme will not face any additional costs for products priced at or below the reference price. If a patient would like to receive a particular brand that costs more than the reference price then the patient will have to pay the additional cost of that product.
Section 13 of the Act provides that where a branded interchangeable product is prescribed for a patient and the prescriber is satisfied that the medicinal product, should for clinical reasons, be exempted from substitution, the prescriber shall write 'Do not Substitute' on the prescription. In these cases, the pharmacist must dispense what is written on the prescription, i.e. is not permitted to substitute with any product in the same group of interchangeable products and patients will not face any additional costs if the prescribed product costs more than the reference price.
343. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Health his plans to expedite orthodontic waiting times in County Tipperary; if his attention has been drawn to a specific case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3321/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
344. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of qualified nurses that remain on the graduate scheme introduced in 2013; and the number of hospitals included in the scheme. [3329/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
345. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of hospitals that have reversed cuts to nurses' pay under the graduate scheme and that have returned these nurses to a full first year staff nurse pay; and the number of nurses this reversal involves [3330/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
346. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Laois will get an appointment for an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3382/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
347. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update regarding the extension of the BreastCheck programme to women aged between 65 and 69 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3398/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra384. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if resources will be available for the expansion of BreastCheck programme to women aged 65 to 69 years; when resources will be made available for this expansion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3700/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 347 and 384 together.
Planning for the age extension of BreastCheck to 65 - 69 year olds is underway and screening of the extended cohort will commence in Quarter 4 of 2015. The additional eligible population is approximately 100,000 and, when fully implemented, 540,000 women will be included in the BreastCheck Programme.
The age extension will be implemented on an incremental basis in line with the capacity of the system to manage the additional screening and follow up workload. BreastCheck will need to recruit and train additional radiographers, medical consultants and administration support to accommodate the increased demand. Funding for this, and for additional mobile units and medical equipment will be made available across the implementation period. The age extension will be fully rolled out by 2021.
Women of any age who have concerns about breast cancer should seek the advice of their GP who will, if appropriate, refer them to the symptomatic breast services in one of the eight designated cancer centres.
348. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3399/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has approved an extensive package of measures to deal with alcohol misuse to be incorporated in a Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. These measures are based on the recommendations contained in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy, 2012 and include provisions for the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol products. Work on developing a framework for the necessary Department of Health legislation is continuing and it is intended to publish a General Scheme of a Bill shortly.
349. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the National Treatment Purchase Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3403/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
350. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive an appointment to the National Referral Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology at Crumlin Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3420/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
351. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will outline each stage of the medical card application process, with particular reference to the recently introduced stage between the medical officer's evaluation and the deciding officer's final decision; and the length of time each stage lasts [3446/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
