Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I seek the assistance of the Minister on behalf of patients in the mid-west region in freeing up what appears to be a logjam in the roll-out of services for patients with cystic fibrosis, CF, in particular at Limerick Regional Hospital.

The Minister will be aware that the recommendations of the national working group on CF services were accepted. I understand €559,000 was set aside to upgrade services for CF patients. The Minister may be aware that 77 children and 46 adults are currently being treated at the Limerick Regional Hospital. Funding for CF services was allocated by the Health Service Executive following the Pollock report on CF services in 2006. Nationally, €4.8 million was provided, of which €2,072 million has been set aside.

As I stated, €559,000 was allocated directly to Limerick Regional Hospital to fund a number of positions. Two of the urgently required positions have not yet been filled, namely, an adult respiratory consultant with an interest in CF and a paediatric respiratory consultant with an interest in CF. The concern of patients in the region is to identify where that funding is and why these services have not been rolled out. The funding, as I understand it, was to support the cost of an additional eight staff, identified for the adult and paediatric CF services at the Dooradoyle facility. Included in the eight additional staff were two consultant posts, a consultant physician for adult services with a special interest in cystic fibrosis and a consultant paediatrician with a special interest in cystic fibrosis. That is the minimum required to provide the type of services needed for patients in the region.

There has been a considerable outcry during the past couple of years in regard to the treatment of individuals with cystic fibrosis and there was some movement by Government in this regard, in particular in regard to services to be delivered at St. Vincent's Hospital on the east coast. It is only right and fitting — I know the Government and Minister is committed to this — that the type of facilities available on the east coast are made available to people from the mid-west region who have cystic fibrosis. While the money for this has been set aside, services have not to date been rolled out. It is incumbent on the Minister and her Department to use their good offices, taking into account the assistance from the HSE, to move this forward without any further procrastination or delay.

While a relatively good service is provided in the paediatric area, there is need for an extra consultant. There is little service available to adults suffering from CF, which is a progressive illness. Clearly, there is a requirement to ensure continuity of service in respect of children moving from the paediatric service to the adult service. I understand also that a physiotherapist is required in the adult section. Anybody who understands CF knows that physio is the cornerstone of therapy to be delivered to patients suffering from that condition. It is absolutely necessary that these services are rolled out without delay, that the positions are advertised and that appointments are made as quickly as possible so that the same degree of service as is available on the east coast can be delivered in the mid-west region.

See this speech in context