Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The Tánaiste has asked me to inform the House that the Department of Health and Children has regular contact with the group referred to by the Deputy. The Tánaiste has had one meeting with them, in February 2005, at which this issue was discussed.

The services referred to by Deputy Ring are provided under the Health (Amendment) Act 1996. A decision regarding the entitlement of an individual to services under the 1996 Act rests with the chief officer of the Health Service Executive. Eligible persons are given a Health (Amendment) Act card, sometimes referred to as a blue card. Eligible persons are persons who, in the opinion of the chief officer, have contracted hepatitis C directly or indirectly from the use of anti-D, or the administration of blood or blood products within the State. Eligibility is determined on an individual basis, and applies for the lifetime of the eligible person. An application for services is made on a standard form available from one of the hepatitis C liaison officers in each Health Service Executive region.

The guidelines for establishment of eligibility have been set out by the Department of Health and Children, in accordance with the recommendations of the expert group on hepatitis C. Membership of the expert group includes the group referred to by Deputy Ring.

To establish eligibility the following conditions need to be met: proof of a positive hepatitis C test result, including at a minimum, a positive ELISA, antibody, test result; and proof that the infection resulted from blood or blood products administered within the State.

The issue of an extension of the Health (Amendment) Act 1996 to provide free health care for the cohort of patients referred to by the Deputy has been carefully examined and advice taken from a number of relevant sources. The exact number of women affected is not known. While the Tánaiste is sympathetic to the patients in question, she cannot support an extension to the current eligibility requirements. This position was signalled to the group at her meeting with them in February 2005. Following further analysis of the matter the Tánaiste confirmed her decision to the group in September 2005.

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