Written Answers Nos. 687-709
687. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the extent to which his Department has been engaging at a European level and with the European Director General for Health on the need for a common position ahead of the next session of the conference of the parties to the WHO FCTC and of the meeting of parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48205/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra688. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the priorities for the upcoming session of the conference of the parties to the WHO FCTC and of the meeting of parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products as a signatory to the protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48206/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 687 and 688 together.
The ninth Conference of Parties (COP9) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the second Meeting of Parties (MOP2) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products are an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ending the tobacco epidemic, and participate in the global action required to achieve it. Due to COVID-19, COP9 and MOP2 are to be held virtually, with a number of items for consideration deferred to the next sessions in 2023.
A priority for Ireland is strong implementation of Article 5.3 on protecting tobacco control policies from industry interference. This continues to be a challenge around the world. Reminders of Ireland's obligations under Article 5.3 have already been issued to Government Department and to elected officials and guidance for public representatives and officials on this topic is being developed by my Department.
Ending illicit trade in tobacco is another critical step in achieving a tobacco free Ireland, and currently my Department examining the next steps to take in order to be in a position to ratify the Protocol to the FCTC on that issue.
Ahead of COP9 and MOP2, my Department continues to engage regularly at EU level in order to develop a common EU position on the agenda items for consideration.
689. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the opening hours for the paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre in Blanchardstown Hospital; and if not, the barriers to same. [48209/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
690. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Health if an urgent application for respite care for a person (details supplied) will be granted given the severity of the family’s situation. [48211/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
691. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which basic primary care will be provided to private patients who are unable to access general practitioners due to lack of capacity; the way they are to access the most basic level of primary care; the procedures open to them in seeking primary general practice care and ancillary services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48216/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list.
People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private contractors, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients.
The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice, including the limited access to GP services in certain areas, and has implemented a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention in general practice.
These measures include an increase in investment in general practice by approximately 40% (€210 million) between 2019 and 2023 under the terms of the 2019 GMS GP Agreement GP. The Agreement provides for increased support for GPs working in rural practices and for those in disadvantaged urban areas, and for improvements to maternity and paternity leave arrangements. In addition, the number of GPs entering training has been increased steadily over the past ten years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with plans for further increases in future years.
These measures will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.
692. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if additional staff will be recruited for a centre (details supplied); when this will happen; the location in which he expects these positions to be advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48217/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
693. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting for two years to see a urologist at University Hospital Limerick and over one year to see an ENT specialist at University Hospital Limerick; when they can expect to receive same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48218/21]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
694. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting on the CAMHS waiting list in County Wexford; the average waiting time; the number waiting more than six and more than 12 months, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48226/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
695. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of post vacancies in CAMHS County Wexford; the vacancies there are; the length of vacancies; when these vacancies will be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48227/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
696. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a speech and language appointment in County Wexford; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12 and more than 12 months in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48228/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
697. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists that have left the dental treatment services scheme in the past 12 months in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48229/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
698. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the details of the current vacancies in Wexford General Hospital in tabular form; if they have been advertised; the length of time they have been vacant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48230/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
699. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of home help hours provided in 2020 and to date in 2021, in County Wexford; the number of hours that were HSE direct provision; the number of hours that were provided by private providers; the number of persons that have received these hours in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48231/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible
700. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he in conjunction with the HSE will examine eliminating the fee facing parents of teenagers who missed out on the HPV vaccine in first year of school and now want to be vaccinated. [48238/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department. The NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. Therefore, the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time. In 2009, the NIAC recommended HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination for all 12 to 13 year old girls to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer when they are adults. In September 2010, the HPV vaccination programme was introduced for all girls in first year of secondary school. In June 2017, on foot of the NIAC’s recommendation that the HPV vaccine should also be given to boys, my Department asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to undertake a health technology assessment (HTA) to establish the clinical and cost-effectiveness of extending the immunisation programme to include boys in the first year of secondary school. The HIQA completed the HTA in December 2018, recommending that the HPV immunisation programme be extended to include boys. A policy decision was made to extend the HPV immunisation programme to include boys, starting in September 2019, with the introduction of a 9-valent HPV vaccine. The ages at which vaccines are recommended in the immunisation schedule are chosen by the NIAC in order to give each child the best possible protection against vaccine preventable diseases. As the HPV vaccine is preventative it is intended to be administered, if possible, before a person becomes sexually active, that is, before a person is first exposed to HPV infection. Therefore, the gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme targets all girls and boys in first year of secondary school to provide maximum coverage. All vaccines administered through the School Immunisation Programme are provided free of charge. My Department will continue to be guided by NIAC's recommendations on any emerging evidence on this issue in the future. Anyone not in 1st year of secondary school or age equivalent in special schools or home schooled during the 2020/2021 school year who wishes to get the HPV vaccine, must go to their GP or sexual health clinic and pay privately for the vaccine and its administration. This applies to everyone whether or not they have a medical card/GP visit card, as it is outside of the HPV immunisation programme. At the request of my Department, the HIQA are conducting a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on a school based HPV mop-up vaccination programme (for those that were previously eligible and missed or turned down the vaccine). The HIQA has confirmed that this HTA has been added to its work programme for 2021/2022 and I have requested that my officials give consideration to the outcome of this work in the context of the immunisation programme.
701. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter in relation to zolgensma gene therapy (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48243/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drugs schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. In line with the 2013 Health Act and the national framework agreed with industry, if a company would like a medicine to be reimbursed by the HSE, the company must submit an application to the HSE to have the new medicine added to the reimbursement list.Reimbursement is for licensed indications which have been granted market authorisation by the European Medicines Agency or the Health Products Regulatory Authority. In making a relevant reimbursement decision, the HSE is required under the Act to have regard to a number of criteria, including efficacy, the health needs of the public, cost effectiveness and potential or actual budget impact. HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds, on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE). I am advised by the HSE that, in April 2020, the NCPE received a reimbursement application dossier for Onasemnogene abeparvovec (Zolgensma) for the treatment of patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with a bi-allelic mutation in the SMN1 gene and a clinical diagnosis of SMA type 1, or patients with 5q SMA with a bi-allelic mutation in the SMN1 gene and up to 3 copies of the SMN2 gene. On 13 May 2020, the NCPE completed a rapid review with respect to this application and recommended a full Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Zolgensma compared with the current standard of care. The HTA was undertaken as a part of the Beneluxa collaboration between Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium, with Austria acting as a reviewer in the Belgian procedure. The HTA was completed in May 2021. The NCPE recommended that Zolgensma not be considered for reimbursement unless cost-effectiveness could be improved relative to existing treatments. Pricing/reimbursement negotiations are currently underway, having commenced in July 2021. A final decision on the pricing/reimbursement application for Zolgensma will be made in accordance with the 2013 Health Act.
702. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the status of the processing of applications for primary medical certificates; if this has resumed since it was stalled due to Covid-19; if there is a substantial backlog of applications to be processed; the number of applications that are currently waiting to be processed; and the breakdown of pending applications in each CHO in tabular form. [48254/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
703. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1364 of 24 March 2021, the names of the individuals and groups from whom he received representations in relation to lobbying for the introduction of the remote provision of abortion services telemedicine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48328/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health and the HSE worked together to put new arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely.
For the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it will be possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e. before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.
The arrangement enabling remote consultation will be reviewed once the public health emergency is declared over. There is regular ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise.
As I confirmed to the Deputy in March, representations were received in my Department from a range of organisations and individuals over the last year both in support of, and advocating against, the remote provision of termination of pregnancy services. Organisations which made representations requesting that the use of remote provision of services be considered included the HSE, the Dublin Well Woman Centre, the Irish Family Planning Association, the Southern Task Group on Abortion and Reproductive Topics (START) Doctors, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and the Abortion Rights Campaign.
704. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of appointing one whole-time equivalent clinical psychologist to each acute hospital diabetes paediatric teams; and the number of additional clinical psychologists needed to meet this target. [48369/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
705. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the costs associated with the national roll-out of heart failure integrated core projects in the community. [48370/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter for the HSE it has been referred there for direct reply.
706. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the waiting list to see a consultant dermatologist at Mullingar Regional Hospital; and the average waiting times to see the consultant. [48371/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last eighteen months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently as a result of the ransomware attack. While significant progress was made in reducing waiting times from June 2020 onwards, the surge in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of 2021 and the associated curtailment of acute hospital services, coupled with the ransomware attack of May 2021, has impacted waiting times. However, the HSE advise that acute services are now almost all fully restored to pre cyber-attack levels, and are operating in line with relevant Covid protocols.
My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) are focusing on improving access to elective care in order to reduce waiting times for patients. These plans include increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services where minor procedures are provided at the same time as outpatient consultations, providing virtual clinics and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.
An additional €240 million has been provided in Budget 2021 for an access to care fund, €210m of which has been allocated to the HSE and a further €30m to the NTPF. This is to be used to fund additional capacity to address the shortfall arising as a result of infection control measures taken in the context of COVID-19, as well as addressing backlogs in waiting lists.
My Department is working with the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to develop plans to tackle the rise in waiting lists. Firstly, with the finalisation of a short-term Waiting List Action Plan which will cover the rest of the year, until December 2021. Secondly through the development of a longer-term Multi Annual Waiting List Plan to bring waiting lists in line with Sláintecare targets.
The NTPF has advised that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate average wait times. In particular, the time to treatment of patients who have already received their care is not collected. The NTPF collects data on patients currently on the waiting list and the average time that these patients have been waiting is provided here.
OP Dermatology Waiters as of 26/8/2021
|
Sum of Amount |
Column Labels |
|||
|
Row Labels |
0-6 Months |
6-12 Months |
12+ Months |
Grand Total |
|
Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar |
175 |
19 |
38 |
232 |
|
Grand Total |
175 |
19 |
38 |
232 |
|
Mean NumDays |
287 |
|||
|
Median NumDays |
80.5 |
707. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a needs assessment in CHO3; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12 and more than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48375/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra708. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a needs assessment in CHO5; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12 and more than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48376/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra709. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a speech and language appointment in CHO3; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12 and more than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48377/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra710. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a speech and language appointment in CHO5; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12 and more than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48378/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 707 to 710, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
