Written Answers Nos. 435-459
435. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his views on the concerns that have been raised at the highest level (details supplied) relating to Cork University Hospital's maternity unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30426/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware that there are issues regarding unacceptable times for services in Cork University Maternity Hospital. It is of course a key challenge for our health system is to ensure that patients have timely access to health services, in light of increasing demand. This Government is committed to a sustained focus on improving wait times, particularly for those waiting longest.
My Department works closely with the HSE and the NTPF to implement measures to reduce waiting times. At my request, in August, the HSE developed an action plan to reduce, by year end, the number of patients currently waiting 18 months or more for an impatient/daycase procedure.
Finally, the Budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest-waiting patients. €20m is being allocated to the NTPF, rising to €55m in 2018. Planning of this initiative is at an advanced stage by the NTPF, my Department and the HSE.
436. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a procedure for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30429/16]
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 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 should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
437. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the status of an application for full-time care for a person (details supplied). [30436/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
438. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Health if his Department has given consideration to the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP, medication (details supplied) to groups who are at high risk of contracting HIV; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30442/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020 was launched in October 2015. The strategy was developed in response to a recommendation of the National AIDS Strategy Committee on the need to establish clear leadership within the health sector around the area of sexual health. The Strategy contains 71 recommendations that address all aspects of sexual health and a Sexual Health Action Plan for 2015-2016 that contains 18 priority actions for immediate attention.
One of the priority actions identified in the Action Plan for 2016 is to 'Prioritise, develop and implement guidance to support clinical decision making for STI testing, screening and treatment and on the appropriate use of antiretroviral therapy in HIV prevention’. An Implementation Group has now been established within the HSE as an outcome of this action. This group will make recommendations on the appropriate use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the overall context of the national approach to HIV prevention.
Truvada has been approved by the Health Products Regulatory Authority for use, in combination with safer sex practices, for PrEP to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection in adults at high risk.
439. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hip operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30456/16]
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 HSE, 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.
440. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will address the shortage of consultant obstetrician and gynaecologists in Cork by appointing additional consultants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30461/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
441. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure the activation of the gynaecology one-stop-shop which was envisioned and costed as part of the reconfiguration of gynaecological cancer service plan in 2014 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30462/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
442. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that the gynaecology day unit which was drawn up and costed and submitted to the Cork University Hospital capital projects team in 2013 is now urgently progressed and realised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30463/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
443. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will address the staffing issue at Cork University Maternity Hospital to allow for the opening of the fully commissioned second gynaecology theatre in CUMH, which has not been used for gynaecological surgery since Cork University Maternity Hospital opened almost ten years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30464/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
444. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will allow for staffing to allow for a five-day theatre service in theatre one, the only gynaecology theatre functioning in Cork University Maternity Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30465/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
445. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will address the unacceptable waiting list for gynaecology outpatient referrals in Cork as per the National Treatment Purchase Fund figures of August 2016 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30466/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraA key challenge for our health system is to ensure that patients have timely access to health services, in light of increasing demand. This Government is committed to a sustained focus on improving wait times, particularly for those waiting longest.
My Department works closely with the HSE and the NTPF to implement measures to reduce waiting times. Budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest-waiting patients. €20m is being allocated to the NTPF, rising to €55m in 2018. Planning of this initiative is at an advanced stage by the NTPF, my Department and the HSE.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
446. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be facilitated. [30469/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
447. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 6 October 2016, which original asked if a person (details supplied) could be seen at an alternative hospital due to waiting time, if he will respond to the original question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30472/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have again asked the HSE to respond directly.
448. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of volunteer cardiac first responders currently operating and the location in which each is based. [30473/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to reply directly to you.
449. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the training volunteer cardiac first responders must undergo and the cost per person. [30474/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra450. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency calls volunteer cardiac first responders were dispatched to for each of the years 2014 to 2016 to date. [30475/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 450 together.
As these are service issues I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you.
451. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if volunteer community first responders are not exempt from road traffic legislation meaning they are required to travel within the speed limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30476/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra452. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the requirements which exist for community first responders to report incidents with vehicles while responding to an emergency call; the person to whom these incidents must be reported to; and if his attention has been drawn to any such incidents from 2014 to 2016 to date. [30477/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 451 and 452 together.
As these are service matters I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you.
453. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the driving training which is required for volunteer cardiac first responders at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30478/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to reply directly to you.
454. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the way in which a person, business, community group or sports club can be involved in the delivery of the Government's obesity policy and action plan 2016-2025 at a local level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30481/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe recently published Obesity Policy, “A Healthy Weight for Ireland” strives to empower individuals, families and communities to enhance their own skills to improve their health. Every sector has a role to play including industry and business. Overweight and obesity are conditions that develop over a number of years in both children and adults. The determinants are multiple and include the environment, access to healthy and affordable food, physical activity, exercise and leisure activity, cultural and societal norms, education and skills levels, genetic make-up and lifestyle choices.
In the past two decades, levels of overweight and obesity in Ireland have doubled to the extent that now only 40% of the adult population have a healthy weight, and one in four of our children are an unhealthy weight. Levels of overweight and obesity are higher in disadvantaged groups.
Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for many chronic non-communicable diseases. The burden of adult obesity in financial terms in Ireland has been estimated at €1.13 billion.
It is widely acknowledged that the solutions are multiple but complex. No single sector or agency is able to solve this issue on their own. The Healthy Weight for Ireland: obesity policy and action plan strives to empower individuals, families and communities to enhance their own skills to improve their health. Every sector has a role to play.
Examples of how individuals, business, community or sporting groups at local level can be involved in the delivery of the plan include, but are not limited to, the following:
Individuals
- Avail of information and supports to look at their own dietary and physical activity patterns and identify changes they can make. Information and support is available from GPs, pharmacists and online from www.safefood.eu, www.getirelandactive.ie.
- Volunteer with a local club or community organisation that provides opportunities for physical activity or is working to increase access to affordable, healthy food.
- Those who are parents can work with and support their school, through the Parents Councils, to take a whole school approach to healthy eating and physical activity, through the curriculum, training for teachers, engaging with programmes such as Active Schools Flag and Health Promoting Schools.
- Those who are employers can engage with programmes such as HappyHeart@Work or Active@Work initiatives or the Smarter Travel initiative to improve the health and well-being of their staff.
Business, sports clubs and community groups that work with or provide services or activities where young people gather:
- Increase the provision of healthy food options in vending machines, shops, cafes and restaurants;
- Limit marketing and promotion of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in fat, salt and sugar; and
- Provide information to assist customers to make healthier food choices.
Sports clubs and community groups:
- Work with organisations such as Local Sports Partnerships to increase access and availability of facilities and opportunities for adults and children to take part in regular health-enhancing physical activity. For example in securing routes with the free weekly 5km park runs or Slí na Slainte.
455. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if he will review the medical card and GP visit card national assessment guidelines relating to women with breast cancer in cases where they are over the income limit and allow them the financial security of having a discretionary card for a minimum of three years as in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30495/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without due hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure and every application must be assessed on that basis. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card and therefore, the medical conditions of applicants for this scheme are not monitored on that basis. Where the applicant's income is within the income guidelines, a medical card or GP visit card will be awarded.
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 the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. In certain circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds his or her income threshold, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services. The HSE affords applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting information and documentation to fully take account of all the relevant circumstances that may benefit them in the assessment, including medical evidence of cost and necessary expenses.
The HSE has a system in place for the provision of medical cards in response to an emergency situation for persons with a serious medical condition in need of urgent or on-going medical care that they cannot afford and persons in palliative care, who are terminally ill. With the exception of terminally ill patients, all medical cards, granted on an emergency basis, are issued on the basis that the patient is eligible for a medical card on the basis of means or undue hardship, and will follow up with a full application within a number of weeks of receiving the medical card eligibility. These cards are issued within 24 hours of receipt of the required patient details and a letter which confirms the medical condition from a doctor or consultant. For terminally ill persons, no means test applies.
I can clarify for the Deputy that 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.
456. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of cases for each of the past ten years of Tay-Sachs disease which occurred; the number of children born with this medical condition; the location here in which a person can be tested to ascertain if they are a carrier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30518/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
457. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason home help has been cut for a person (details supplied); and if this can be restored immediately. [30521/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
458. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the position with regard to the shortage of anaesthetists in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, and Louth County Hospital since 1 January 2016; the impact in terms of possible increased risk of serious medical mistakes during surgery and the possibility of delaying vital treatment for patients; the number of operations cancelled as a result since January 2016; and the number of posts vacant in the whole country at that time. [30525/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
459. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if his Department will investigate the delays in a patient transfer for a person (details supplied); if his Department will expedite this transfer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30526/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
