Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the HSE's decision to reimburse FreeStyle Libre for children and young adults. As the Minister of State is aware, almost 190,000 people in Ireland have diabetes, which is a chronic disease that takes a lot of management. This device, which allows blood glucose levels to be monitored without invasive finger-prick testing, is an absolute game-changer for anyone suffering with diabetes. In some cases, patients have to test their glucose levels up to ten times a day. This can be a real inconvenience and discomfort, especially for children.

While we welcome the HSE's decision, we believe clarity is needed in respect of it. We are here today because we need the meat on the bones now. We have questions to ask. We appreciate that the Minister of State might not be able to answer them all today. We would appreciate it if the Minister of State would bring our questions back to the Minister for Health. The Minister's press release mentioned that this will be available "for children and young adults". What exactly is meant by "young adults"? That is my first specific question. According to the press release, this will not be available for children and young adults on insulin pumps. Why is this group being excluded?

Would it be possible for the Minister of State to clarify the specific criteria which must be satisfied, in line with the recommendations of the health technology assessment group, in order for reimbursements to be made in respect of children and teenagers with diabetes? How long will it take to build the application suite for reimbursement support? As the Minister of Sate is aware, FreeStyle Libre costs approximately €120 a month. This is a huge cost for families with young children and for patients who are funding this themselves each week. The sensors, which cost €60 each, last for 14 days. This means there is a monthly cost of €120, plus €6 postage and packaging costs.

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