Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the response but she has not answered my fundamental question, namely, whether the Department of Health will instruct the HSE to initiate an early access programme. Quite frankly, we do not have time for feasibility studies. The Minister of State made reference to significant costs but these people were infected as a result of negligence on the part of the State. What cost do we put on a person's life? That is the fundamental question. We do not have time to wait. Other countries did not wait. This drug is being used in England, Scotland and other countries across Europe.

The Minister of State also made reference to the expert advisory group - the setting up of which I welcome - which will look at the long-term roll-out of treatment for these patients. However, those same patients feel that they do not have any input into that process. They are also very concerned that they also have no input into the decision-making process regarding an early access programme. That is the issue we are discussing here today. We are talking about a specific cohort of patients who urgently need an early access programme.

These patients have been identified. The Minister of State is worried about costs. That group, ICORN, has identified the patients most in need of this treatment and it is willing to identify the patients who should avail of the early access programme so that we can keep control of the costs.

We need to act now to ensure that my constituent and in the region of 200 others do not die. We simply do not have to time to wait. If we do not act now, people will die prematurely.

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