Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details of medicines and patient products that have been removed from the medical card and drug reimbursement schemes to date in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49291/12]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Kelleher for having raised this question. In the current financial environment the Health Service Executive is facing a challenge to deliver services in a way that will minimise any adverse impact on patients and continue to protect, as far as possible, the most vulnerable citizens. Unfortunately, it has become necessary for the HSE to suspend certain products from its list of reimbursable items. These include Glucosamine, Omega-3 triglyceride products, Orlistat, and gluten-free products.

Glucosamine is indicated for the management of symptoms of osteoarthritis. The National Centre for Pharmoeconomics has assessed the cost-effectiveness of glucosamine on two occasions and concluded that it did not offer value for money to the HSE. However, it should be noted that glucosamine products are available over the counter without prescription.

Omega-3 triglyceride products - for example, Omacor - have been identified both nationally and internationally as not being cost-effective or being of lesser benefit to patients. However, these products are also available over the counter without prescription, as is Orlistat.

Gluten-free products have become more widely available in supermarkets in recent years and tend to be significantly cheaper than products sold through community pharmacies. A supplementary welfare allowance adult diet supplement may be awarded by the Department of Social Protection to eligible persons. Persons wishing to apply for this allowance can do so by completing an application form which can be downloaded at . Separate application forms are available for children on that site. For persons who are not awarded a diet supplement, moneys spent on gluten-free foods can be taken into account for tax purposes.

We must be careful, given the sensitivities involved.

The 414 posts that we managed to get last year will be in place by 10 December of this year. We would have liked to have had them by September, but there were difficulties in vetting the people we were bringing to Ireland, which was necessary due to a lack of expertise in this country.

Part of the €35 million was for the National Counselling Service, NCS, and that has been spent. It is a counselling service available to general practitioners, GPs, in the primary care setting. Another part of the €35 million was for the National Office for Suicide Prevention and the Genio projects, such as those dealing with dementia and people living well in their own communities. Deputy Kelleher is aware of one such project in Kinsale.

The €35 million is being spent on mental health services. I hate the term "going forward", but ensuring those posts are supported will cost approximately €32 million next year. When the teams are put in place on 10 December, it will not just be a matter of bringing people together. Work will be necessary to make them good, cohesive, functional units if we are to provide the type of service that is desired. However, we will provide that mental health service where people want it, be that in their communities or their homes. The savings from closing the beds in large institutions will accrue to us.

We will always need acute units to deal with people experiencing episodes of acute mental distress. Thankfully, we need fewer of them because we are delivering a different service in a different place.