Written Answers Nos. 394-416
394. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if it is equitable that health insurance companies provide health insurance packages regardless of age or gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43849/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe inclusion of maternity benefit in all health insurance products is a statutory requirement. It is part of a legal obligation on health insurers to provide a specific minimum level of benefit in all health insurance products sold. Minimum Benefit Regulations, made under the Health Insurance Acts, require insurers to offer a minimum benefit to every insured person. The key purpose of the Regulations is to ensure the continued availability of the type of broad hospital cover traditionally held as a minimum by the insured population and to ensure that individuals do not significantly under-insure.
This approach is designed to be equitable and fair, by ensuring that all consumers obtain an appropriate minimum level of health insurance cover regardless of what plan they purchase. Every plan available is inclusive of the minimum suite of benefits/procedures, some of which are applicable to the whole market and some of which will be applicable specifically to either men or women. For example, the Regulations include provision for such medical treatments as a prostatectomy or testicular biopsy (in the case of men) and cervical biopsy or maternity services (in the case of women).
The health services and procedures provided by minimum benefit should be viewed as a cohort of procedures that are important and of benefit to the community of the insured population, and thus should be protected and provided as a minimum base to all.
395. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the average waiting times for cataract surgery for those graded as routine and for those graded as urgent in University Hospital Galway; if these waiting times have increased since this time in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43859/15]
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.
396. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health when a position will be filled (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43861/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
397. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the full-year cost of providing a fully operational primary care team for every 1,500 children and if he supports this recommendation of the Barnardos Rise Up for Children Report [43888/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrimary Care Teams comprise a range of healthcare professionals and may include general practitioners, nursing staff, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, health care assistants, home helps, managers and administrative staff, according to the needs of the population served and the available resources. Primary Care Networks provide additional specialist resources to a larger population and may include speech and language therapists, dieticians and psychologists amongst other professional resources.
The HSE is at present working to implement the reform of non-acute services set out in the Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) Report, which was published in October 2014. Nine CHOs have been established to replace the previous 17 Integrated Service Areas. A central element of the implementation plan is the reorganisation of community services into 90 Primary Care Networks, each serving about 50,000 people. The new structures will have a strong focus on building good linkages with the acute hospital system so that people’s care pathways are appropriately planned and their needs met in the right setting.
Currently, approximately 484 Primary Care Teams are in operation and vary as to their composition in terms of professional disciplines, staff numbers and associated costs. It is not possible, without undertaking a detailed exercise, including a comprehensive assessment of the resources already available in each relevant location and a clear understanding of the working assumptions to be used, to provide an estimate of the net cost of establishing 1,500 Primary Care Teams, as requested by the Deputy.
398. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health how many different people, including their country of origin, and how many dialysis sessions are provided by the Health Service Executive to people presenting the European health insurance card each year. [43891/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder EU Regulations, all persons ordinarily resident in the EU are entitled to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC certifies that the holder has the right to receive emergency healthcare during a temporary stay in any EU country as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. This right is guaranteed to all persons who are covered by the public healthcare system of these countries. The European Health Insurance Card holder has the right to receive necessary treatment in the host Member State's public healthcare system on the same terms and at the same cost as nationals of the State concerned. Renal units in this State normally accommodate dialysis for those presenting a EHIC once contact has been made with them in advance of the patient travelling here and the patient’s clinicians provide all relevant patient information to the consultants in the receiving renal unit here.
The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. 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.
399. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health for how many different people who have presented the Irish European health insurance card and for how many dialysis sessions in Europe does the Health Service Executive pay in a year and in which countries did they receive their dialysis treatment. [43892/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder EU Regulations, all persons ordinarily resident in Ireland are entitled to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC certifies that the holder has the right to receive emergency healthcare during a temporary stay in any EU country as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. This right is guaranteed to all persons who are covered by the public healthcare system of these countries. The European Health Insurance Card holder has the right to receive necessary treatment in the host Member State's public healthcare system on the same terms and at the same cost as nationals of the State concerned. Dialysis is normally accommodated in host Member States for those presenting a EHIC once contact has been made with them in advance of the patient travelling and the patient’s clinicians provide all relevant patient information to the consultants in the receiving renal unit in the host Member State.
The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. 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.
400. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the average response time for an ambulance to arrive at the scene of an emergency call in the Graiguenamanagh district of County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43895/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra401. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if there are time limits in respect of a maximum allocation of time in which an ambulance must arrive to the scene of an emergency call in the Graiguenamanagh district of County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43896/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra402. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulances available to the Graiguenamanagh district of County Kilkenny for emergency call-outs, the average response time for such ambulances in arriving at the scene of an emergency call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43897/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 400 to 402, inclusive, together.
With regard to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters, 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.
403. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if funding exists within the Health Service Executive to assist a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43898/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the administration of the primary care schemes.
As the particular issue raised relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to you. 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.
404. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be called for a procedure; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43900/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The 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.
405. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health to outline what the money raised through the levy on health insurance policies is used for; the amount of money received in each of the years 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43906/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity rating whereby all subscribers are charged the same premium for a particular plan, irrespective of risk factors such as age, gender or health status is a fundamental cornerstone of the Irish health insurance market. Risk equalisation is the standard transfer mechanism used to equalise risk and underpin community rating internationally. The Risk Equalisation Scheme in Ireland involves the collection of a community rating levy from insurers by the Revenue Commissioners. These levies are paid into a Risk Equalisation Fund operated by the Health Insurance Authority who redistributes the Fund back to the market through credits payable to insurers in respect of insured older lives (aged 60 and over) and utilisation of in-patient hospital services. This system ensures that all insured persons continue to pay the same net amount for a given health insurance product and helps to support affordable premiums for all.
The Risk Equalisation Scheme is self-funding, ie the cost of credits is met by the stamp duties raised. The total stamp duty levies raised under the Risk Equalisation Scheme on health insurance products written in 2013 was €413m, while an additional €173m was taken in under the ARTC Scheme in respect of policies taken out or renewed from 1 August to 31 December 2012 and paid to the Exchequer in February 2013. The total amount raised in 2014 was €582m.
406. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will honour its commitment to provide capital funding of €320,000 to Tír na nÓg respite house at 2 Friars Green in County Carlow to construct a new purpose-built house for respite services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43908/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
407. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the cost of the National Treatment Purchase Fund initiative in offering external appointments to those waiting longer than 12 months for a colonoscopy; the institutions that will facilitate these appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43921/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe NTPF has recently commenced a GI Endoscopy Initiative which it aims to complete before the end of the year. The Initiative will target those waiting over 12 months now or before the end of December 2015 for a routine endoscope. While these patients are largely confined to a small number of hospitals, the Initiative aims to offer an external appointment to all patients waiting 12 months.
The HSE has in place a weekly monitoring system to ensure all patients referred for an urgent colonoscopy are seen within a 28 day target time. A policy of zero tolerance applies to any breaches.
From its 2015 allocation, an amount of €1.1m has been identified by the National Treatment Purchase Fund Board to facilitate the treatment, in private hospitals, of public patients listed as waiting for more than 12 months for a gastroscopy, colonoscopy or proctoscopy procedure.
The following private hospitals have agreed to participate in this initiative:
- Aut Even;
- Barringtons;
- Blackrock Clinic;
- Bon Secours;
- Clane Hospital;
- Galway Clinic;
- Hermitage;
- Mater Private;
- North West Independent Hospital;
- St. Francis;
- Whitfield Clinic;
- 3Fivetwo Healthcare.
408. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the details of all nursing home beds by hospital group area, and by private or public, in tabular form. [43922/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra410. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the details of all nursing home beds by hospital group area, and by private or public type, in tabular form. [43930/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 410 together.
The Health Information and Quality Authority is an independent authority established under the Health Act 2007. Since 2009 all nursing homes - public, voluntary and private have been registered and inspected by HIQA. Under Section 49 of the Act the Chief Inspector must establish and maintain a register of designated centres. Details entered into the register include the name of the centre, address and date of registration. This information is published and available on the Authority’s website www.hiqa.ie.
409. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an application for a medical card by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry, given that the person has submitted all relevant information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43929/15]
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.
411. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter regarding assessments, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder, the adoption of the very successful methods of a doctor (details supplied) to address the escalating number of persons with this condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43934/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe particular issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. 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.
412. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health why the older computed tomography scanner in University Hospital Waterford was closed upon the opening of the new computed tomography unit in April 2015, if the older scanner was in working order when it was closed and how many scans were performed in 2014 on the old scanner, if the staff who operated the older scanner were re-deployed to utilise the new scanner, if the old scanner is still located at the hospital or if it has been relocated to a different hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43941/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra413. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health the waiting time for an appointment for a computed tomography scan at University Hospital Waterford, if this is the best service the hospital can provide to its patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43942/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 412 and 413 together.
With regard to the detailed queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters, 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.
414. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Health his views on the bureaucracy within the Health Service Executive faced by persons acquiring discretionary medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43945/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the HSE, unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. The legislation obliges the HSE, when making a decision on a person’s eligibility, to take account of a person’s financial situation. This requires the provision of information by the applicant.
Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of difficult circumstances, whether medical or social which might result in undue financial hardship in arranging medical services. In doing so, the HSE may seek additional supporting information which can be, at times, intensive but necessary to ensure a fair discretionary review for applicants whose income has exceeded the income limits.
I recognise that the existing assessment system is complex because it tries to ensure that a wide range of personal circumstances can be taken into account. We are still committed to further improving the existing system and the work of the Clinical Advisory Group on medical card eligibility will be central to this in the immediate future. The Group was established by the Director General of the HSE and is continuing its work on developing a framework for assessment and measurement of the burden of disease and appropriate operational guidelines for the medical card scheme.
As evidenced by the increase in the number of discretionary medical cards in circulation from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to nearly 96,000 at the beginning of November this year, the HSE is exercising greater discretion in its medical cards assessments than ever before.
415. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Health when an application for a medical card by persons (details supplied) in County Longford will be processed, given that it has been with the deciding officer for some weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43946/15]
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.
416. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if he will provide transport for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8. [43951/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach Local Health Office area in the Health Service Executive (HSE) has a dedicated Disability Manager to coordinate the delivery of services to people with disabilities. It is open to the individual and their family to pursue this matter with the Disability Manager for their area who can be contacted at The Bungalow, Bru Chaoimhin, Cork Street, Dublin 8, telephone 01-4156564.
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
