Written Answers Nos. 846-862
847. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the designated number of health and social care professionals allocated to the East City Primary Health Centre, Doughiska, Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13377/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
848. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the outpatient services that are available for older persons at the East City Primary Health Centre, Doughiska, Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13378/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
849. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent staff positions that have been approved for the East City Primary Health Centre, Doughiska, Galway; the number that are actually in position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13379/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
850. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the catchment area served by outpatient services for older persons by the East City Primary Health Centre, Doughiska, Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13380/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
851. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the take-up rate for services offered by the East City Primary Health Centre, Doughiska, Galway to older persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13381/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
852. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to have a person (details supplied) admitted to the rehabilitation unit in Mullingar, County Westmeath, for necessary rehabilitation treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13383/17]
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.
853. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of speech and language therapists employed by the HSE that are providing services in Dublin north west and Dublin north central; his views on whether this number is adequate in view of the large waiting list for speech and language therapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13389/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
854. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of vacancies in the HSE that are based in Dublin north west and Dublin north central. [13390/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
856. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently waiting on gynaecological referrals at the Rotunda Hospital, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13392/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
857. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently waiting for gynaecological surgeries at the Rotunda Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13393/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
858. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health his plans to include, by statutory instrument, persons with severe chronic pain and persons that suffer spasticity from cerebral palsy in accessing medicinal cannabis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13395/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 10 February I published the HPRA’s Report “Cannabis for Medicinal Use – A Scientific Review” and announced my decision to establish an access programme for cannabis-based treatments for the following conditions, spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis resistant to all standard therapies and interventions, intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, despite the use of standard anti-emetic regimes and severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications. Patients accessing cannabis through the programme will be under the care of a medical consultant.
The HPRA Report did not recommend the inclusion of chronic pain and spasticity from cerebral palsy conditions for cannabis-based treatments in the access programme. However, this position will be kept under review, and if better clinical evidence becomes available in future, the inclusion of these conditions can be reconsidered.
859. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the actions his Department can employ to prevent the dissemination of illegal abortion pills in Ireland; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that an organisation (details supplied) has been distributing these pills at various locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13403/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is the competent authority responsible for the regulation of human medicines in Ireland. The HPRA employs enforcement actions, in cooperation with the Revenue Commissioners and An Garda Síochána, to identify the unauthorised supply of prescription only medicines, including those containing abortifacients, to the public. The HPRA uses a range of enforcement powers to tackle this activity including seizing product and taking prosecutions.
No medicines indicated for the termination of pregnancy are authorised in Ireland. The majority of detentions of medicines containing abortifacients occur at the stage of importation into the State from other countries. While there have been public events relating to the use of abortifacients, supply of such prescription medicines to the public has not, to date, been evident.
Where any person in Ireland is a supplier of any prescription only medicine in contravention of medicines legislation they are committing an offence under Irish legislation and risk enforcement action up to prosecution.
860. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health the targets in place for reducing outpatient waiting times in Naas General Hospital in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13404/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraReducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.
In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate €5m to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2000 daycases will be managed through this process and outsourcing of treatment will commence from March.
In addition to this Daycase Initiative, the NTPF has been working closely with my Department and the HSE to agree an approach to the remaining 2017 allocation. The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plans for Inpatient/Daycase procedures and Outpatient appointments to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Inpatient/Day case Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach to the utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017.
The HSE has now submitted Draft Waiting List Action Plans for Inpatient Daycases and Scoliosis. My Department is currently reviewing and evaluating these plans and engagement is ongoing with the HSE and the NTPF towards the finalisation of the former. The Outpatients Plan has been significantly progressed and I expect that it will be submitted by mid-March. In relation to targets in place to reduce outpatient waiting times in Naas General Hospital, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
861. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health the number of children that have been refused access to their first choice of general practitioner service for children under six years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13405/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe introduction of GP care without fees to children under 6 represents a major step forward in improving access, quality and affordability of health care in Ireland. The under-6s GP service contract, which includes age-based preventive checks focused on health and well-being and a cycle of care for children with asthma, underlines the Government’s commitment to enhancing primary care and keeping people well in their own community. To date, approximately 94% of GMS GPs have entered into agreements with the HSE for the provision of services to children under 6 and almost 364,000 children under 6 have access to GP care without fees through a medical card or GP visit card.
Complaints in relation to registration with a GP are dealt with by the HSE in the first instance. Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the HSE has the power to assign an eligible person to a GP's GMS patient list where the person has been removed from another GP's list or refused entry onto a GP's list, and the person has unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area, who are contracted to provide services under the GMS.
862. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health if the policy of charging cancer patients car parking fees in Naas Hospital will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13409/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her.
