Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 March 2024
303. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the impact on current drug reimbursement waiting times that he expects to see as a result of the recruitment of 36 new staff within the decision-making reimbursement process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13410/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs recommended by the working group I established following the publication of the Mazars ‘Review of the Governance Arrangements and the Resources in place to support the HSE’s reimbursement and pricing decision-making process’ in February 2023, funding for an additional 34 WTE for the agencies involved in the HSE’s medicines pricing and reimbursement system has been allocated by Government.
These additional staff, to be hired across 2024, will allow each agency to operate to its full potential, ensuring timely and efficient assessment of applications.
Investing in this capacity will support agencies to operate to the fullest of their ability, providing timely and efficient evaluation of medicines for reimbursement. It is hoped this will indicate a commitment to positive collaboration and incentivise more timely applications from industry.
Alongside the approval of additional resources for the agencies involved in the HSE’s medicines pricing and reimbursement system, The HSE will have €30 million to spend on new drugs in 2024. This comprises €20 million of new development funding and a further €10 million, to be generated through HSE efficiencies, which will also be re-invested in new drugs.
This includes the establishment of a sustainability taskforce which will seek to drive efficiency in the HSE’s pharmaceutical spending.
Policy and operational options are being pursued, including enhancing the penetration of generic and biosimilar medicines to improve the sustainability of medicine expenditure and to maximise patient access to new and innovative treatments. This ensures that the substantial investment in medicines is maximised to treat even more patients with new innovative therapies in the years to come.
More detail on the measures to be implemented in 2024 are set out in the HSE’s National Service Plan (NSP). These include a commitment to deliver increased visibility on the steps / progress made by each individual medicine through the HSE assessment and approval processes. My Department will monitor the performance of the HSE in delivering the NSP through an established DoH-HSE performance engagement model. The model provides for structured engagement at various levels within both organisations to identify service delivery challenges and agree and implement improvement actions.
