Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Deputy has referred to two people, and that is the perspective from which she is coming. It is fair to say that the HSE national drug committee has to take a slightly different perspective, and has to have regard to the tens of thousands of other patients also in need of services and the millions of taxpayers who fund them. In that context, a medicine which costs nearly €1 million for two people would be enough to provide a primary care service for an small town, which could improve the health of, and maybe even save the lives of, tens of people. As the Deputy knows, €1 million would hire two consultants and five midwives who, through their work on a daily basis, could improve and save thousands of lives. That is the reality of healthcare funding and it is true for very wealthy countries as well as those under financial pressure. Resources are limited and have to be used in the best interests of as many people as possible.

See this speech in context