Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach is not being straight with the people on this issue. He is hiding behind the NCPE and the HSE. The bottom line is that there is no provision of extra money for the high-tech drugs scheme next year, despite the rapidly escalating cost of treatment, which we acknowledge. However, there is no plan or vision on this issue. Last Sunday the director general of the HSE said categorically that there was no money included in the plan, that the Government had not provided any money and that the health service plan approved by the Government had not provided for any money to be made available in 2016 for this drug. That is the reality. The policy under the health service plan is to contain approvals, in other words, to try to hold them back.

The Food and Drug Administration in the United States went through a very rapid process because this drug was a game changer. It is an orphan drug in the United States and making a huge difference. Ms Jillian McNulty is a campaigner in Ireland who took part in the clinical trial. She said:

Within a few months, my body started changing, during my runs I could breathe deeper, it's not something I can explain correctly because I don’t think I've ever known what it's like to breathe properly.

She said this in a letter that she sent to about 30 Senators and Deputies. Having come off the clinical trial, she immediately saw the impact the drug had on her body and health. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland has written to the Minister outlining the benefits of the drug. It is the first drug to impact on the underlying causes of the condition for 60% of the cystic fibrosis population in Ireland. It has resulted in a 40% reduction in the number of hospital admissions and a sustained increase in lung function and weight, which is a major issue. The Government should stop hiding behind the HSE and the NCPE on this issue and start to have some vision and plan for the game changing new technologies now and in the future. The answer is not a nil increase in the provision in the high-tech budget for 2016. That is not the vision required to deal adequately with this issue and reduce the anxiety CF patients feel because of the statement made by the director general. He said he was being honest, that he did not have the money and would not have it under the health service plan. The Government must make a decision. Will it provide the money in 2016 - yes or no?

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