Results 48,241-48,260 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Primary Care Centres (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: It is clear that urgent remediation is required. It is welcome that the HSE intends to conduct the assessments and will be back within a couple of weeks. There is important additional good news for the area. The planned primary care centre in nearby Tubbercurry is due to commence building early next year, which is welcome. The existing primary and mental health care centre in Ballymote is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Primary Care Centres (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge the work of Dr. Fitzsimons on women's health. I was delighted earlier this week to be able to expand that. This will be our fifth budget in a row where we really do prioritise women's healthcare. There have been a few important additions which Dr. Fitzsimons and all the other GPs will be aware of and will be part of. One is the expansion of IVF...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his ongoing advocacy in terms of dental services, particularly the children's services and the school-based programme. There have been challenges and children have been waiting too long. A good deal of the delay came about through Covid and the HSE is still in the process of catch-up. The Government invests over €200 million into oral healthcare...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. Rest assured there have never been as many staff. We are hearing claims about suppression of posts. The reality is that there are nearly 30,000 more healthcare workers in the HSE now than there were when this Government came in. This week through the budget we have funded another 3,500 new posts. At the end of this year there are about 2,500 funded posts vacant. Not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: There is no question but that should not be happening, and I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, about it in the context of disability services. There is a clear overlap between my world of health and oral health policy, and that Minister's brief of disability services. I fully agree with the Deputy. All children should be able to get the services, but particularly those who have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Cards (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Medical card provision is primarily based on financial assessment. In accordance with the Health Act 1970, eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE, which assesses each application on a qualifying financial threshold. The idea of granting medical cards or GP visit cards based on any particular disease or illness has been considered. It is a topic we discuss regularly in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Cards (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I will make two points. The first is on the discretionary cards. One in eight medical cards is discretionary, and that is meant to speak to exactly the kinds of cases the Deputy talks about. The discretionary medical card is issued to patients with big medical expenses. They might satisfy the gross income criterion but not the net income criterion. Once they have to pay all these medical...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Cards (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Our clear goal is universal healthcare. One of the three pillars of universal healthcare is that it is affordable, so a lot of what we are doing is trying to make sure that people can access care quickly, that it is great care when they get it and that they can afford it. Any debate like this is very important to constantly reviewing and finding those patients who find themselves outside of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: We could do an entire Dáil statement and debate on this issue, so I thank the Deputy for raising it. The Deputy has raised several areas: cataract services, orthopaedic services, spinal care and more. As I just said, our goal is universal healthcare. One of the pillars is affordability, which we just discussed, and another is rapid access. A huge amount of what we have been doing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree with a lot of that. To be clear, it is not the case that we are telling people things will get better in the future. I am saying clearly that our healthcare professionals have made remarkable progress already. For example, with regard to cataract services, when this Government came in, the average waiting time for cataract treatment in Dublin, in the Deputy’s constituency...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: First, I absolutely do not have an issue with using private care as a short-term means to get public patients faster care. We have used the NTPF as part of our waiting list action plan for the past four years and it has been highly effective in getting public patients care. While we should be building a public health service which does not rely on private care, I have no issue with using...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pharmacy Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his ongoing advocacy and work in this area. The budget contained very good news for progress in this area. I have allocated full-year funding of €50 million for these negotiations. There would be €25 million available next year on an assumed commencement date of, let us say, July 2025. There is, however, full-year allocation of €50 million. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pharmacy Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: It would not be helpful to set out the State’s negotiating position. What I have said to the IPU and my officials is that everything is on the table. The Government has put €50 million on the table this week, which is a sizeable amount. Of course, the IPU will say it is not enough and will want more. It is a sizeable amount, however. Everything can be discussed in the round...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pharmacy Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy said, pharmacists are highly trusted and skilled. They did an incredible job during the Covid pandemic. There was resistance to expanding their scope and that is why it has not happened in a very long time. I do not subscribe to this thinking. Expansion will make a big difference to ordinary punters in the community in that they will not have to go to a GP with minor...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ambulance Service (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his powerful and relentless advocacy of healthcare services for the people in his constituency, including Youghal. He has raised the ambulance training college with me probably every week over the past few years. I am delighted to be able to confirm in the Dáil today that the St. Raphael's site in Youghal is the preferred location for the permanent ambulance...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ambulance Service (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I would be delighted to join the Deputy in Youghal and very happy to look at the site. The ambulance service is working with HSE estates to identify an interim solution for 2025 because we want this up and running. That is good news because it means the HSE can begin hiring the staff. We have a preferred site, St. Raphael's, and there is a final process and work that goes on; however,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ambulance Service (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I think we are good.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I wish to thank the Deputy for allowing me to update the house on this matter. Dundalk Primary Care Centre (PCC) is being delivered through the Operational Lease mechanism, whereby the HSE enters into agreement with a developer to build a PCC and the HSE then leases the building for a fixed period. All Primary Care Centres delivered via the Operational Lease model are subject to the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: This government has invested significantly in Mallow General Hospital. The Deputy will be aware that this government has added 34 additional beds increasing capacity from 37 beds to 71 beds. A further 24 beds are also planned under the Bed Capacity Expansion Plan. In 2019, Mallow had a budget of €19.9m, this government has increased the budget for Mallow to €31.7m in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The Department of Health’s 2010 Children’s Palliative Care Policy guides provision of palliative care services for children and their families in Ireland. Services are provided using a multiagency approach - including adult specialist palliative care services. The new National Adult Palliative Care Policy contains a suite of recommendations that relate to children’s...