Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Fitzmaurice raised a general point about transplants. It is a matter for people who may wish to supply organs for transplant, which is a very good thing to do. Not everybody has the courage or mentality to do that but it is something which is being constantly promoted and which I support.

I am aware of the situation concerning Dr. David Hickey. The pancreatic transplant service has been transferred to St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin with support from Edinburgh. This is a specialist area. I do not think anybody who has been treated or has had a family member treated in centres of excellence for cancer can complain about the professionalism that applies in a centre of excellence. The new service for pancreatic transplants in St. Vincent's University Hospital will go live this month. St. Vincent's University Hospital has appointed a number of new consultants and the service will start in January. It is anticipated that heart and lung transplants will be up this year but kidney transplants will be down. It is important to say that the transplant programme requires the support of people who wish to be organ donors. The Minister has indicated that the new service in St. Vincent's University Hospital will be structured differently from that in Beaumont Hospital and will not be dependent on any one individual. It is expected that this new service in St. Vincent's University Hospital will be exceptionally high-level.

The Minister has also informed me about Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland, which is led by Professor Jim Egan with additional staff to identify suitable organs for transplant, and the living donor programme, which aims to get even more people to donate and involves the Department and the HSE covering the expenses involved. There is encouragement there for people to consider becoming donors. It is has always been difficult and requires specialist centres. What the Minister has done in transferring this service following the retirement of Dr. David Hickey to St. Vincent's University Hospital with consultants appointed and a first-class operation will add greatly to the comfort and health of those patients.

See this speech in context