Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's response and his statement that it is a priority for the Minister for Health. He also said the National Screening Advisory Committee is considering adding a tenth condition, but he did not say if it would be SMA specifically. I ask him to clarify that. Is the tenth condition to be added to the testing SMA? SMA Ireland represents children already diagnosed but it wants to ensure the best possible treatment for children going forward, so all children born with the condition receive treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. We are talking about approximately €300,000 per year. It is not huge money. It makes financial sense. It also makes moral sense because there would be better outcomes for children going forward but if someone was just looking at it from a financial point of view, which unfortunately the HSE and the Department of Health tend to do, it would make sense in that regard as well.

The Minister of State mentioned different treatments that are coming on stream. Other treatments that have already come on stream have made a huge difference. I acknowledge that. The earlier a child is diagnosed and gets treatment, the better the outcome for the child, and the better the financial outcome for the Department of Health and the HSE. I ask the Minister of State to provide that clarification. Is the tenth condition SMA or is it just that the committee is considering a number of conditions and SMA might be one of them?

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