Dr. Austin O'Carroll:

I will clarify the example. I have 40 patients with hepatitis C. There are new life-saving treatments with a 95% cure rate. I have had many people who died of hepatitis C in recent years. In the past four months, I have referred my 40 patients for treatment and told them that it was life saving. Twenty-six did not turn up for their appointments.

We have set up an initiative with Dr. Lambert in the Mater hospital whereby we use a GP trainee to bring the hospital outpatient service to our service in the hostel. People are getting their hospital outpatient appointments in the hostel. We have 20 people lined up for treatment. Two started last week and two are starting this week, with a further four set up for next week. All 20 will have started within the next month and we are chasing down the other six. We have been referred ten more from other services who have dropped out of hospitals. That is the importance of bringing the hospital to the patient.