Results 5,701-5,720 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I have asked the HSE to investigate this case and respond to the Deputy as soon as possible

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Appeals (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: Medical Card eligibility entitles medical card holders to receive health and social care services free of charge, as provided for under the General Medical Services Scheme. IVF is not a service that comes under the General Medical Services Scheme. Drugs used as part of fertility treatment are, however, covered under the Drugs Payments Scheme and High Tech Drug Arrangements. Under the Drugs...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: Optometric services, including medical eye care, sight testing and optical appliances are provided by the HSE to medical card holders. The HSE has been asked to examine the particular query raised by the Deputy and to reply to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 632 and 633 together. The development of primary care is central to the Government's objective to deliver a high quality, integrated and cost effective health care system. Supporting infrastructure, procured through a combination of public and private investment, will facilitate the delivery of multi-disciplinary primary health care. Considerable...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Medical Services Scheme Administration (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dietician Service (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: There is no statutory obligation on the HSE to provide dietician services. There are currently approximately 80 community dieticians working within the HSE. These dieticians work mainly in primary care, long stay residential care units for older people and nutrition health promotion in the treatment, management and prevention of nutrition related diseases. Dieticians aim to provide early...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Prescription Charges (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: As announced in Budget 2014, it has become necessary to increase the prescription charge due to the very difficult and challenging economic environment which requires the Government to achieve additional savings in health expenditure with €666 million of savings targeted in 2014. The increase in prescription charges will account for €43 million of this target. The Government is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Orthodontic Services Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to patients based on their level of clinical need. An individual's access to orthodontic treatment is determined against a set of clinical guidelines and priority is given to patients with greatest needs. The HSE has been asked to examine the specific query raised by the Deputy and to reply to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Scheme. Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines. In addition, people who...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Rare Diseases Strategy Implementation (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue on the Adjournment and providing me with the opportunity to update the House on progress in the development of the national plan for rare diseases. Rare diseases are life threatening or chronic debilitating conditions affecting no more than five in 10,000 people. Between 5,000 and 8,000 rare diseases have been described, affecting...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Rare Diseases Strategy Implementation (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I would like to give the Senator the clarity on specific dates and timelines that he seeks. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to do so today. I know about this area of work. The Senator has raised this issue before; he has been very good at raising it and pressing for action. I will take his raising of it again very much as a spur to engage in further action and specifically to try to...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Services Staff Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. Between 2012 and 2013, a 14% reduction was achieved nationally in the number of emergency department patients waiting for ward bed accommodation. When compared to the baseline year of 2011, there was a 33.8% reduction in 2013. This is equivalent to 29,200 fewer patients waiting on trolleys, a reflection of the willingness and ability of the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Services Staff Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I heard the Senator raise this issue in the course of her contribution, but I did not have notice of this specific issue when I came to the House. I will ensure the Senator obtains an answer to this particular question.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. People aged 16 to 25 years, including students, who are financially independent of their parents may be entitled to a medical card if they pass the means test. If they are financially dependent on their parents, they are normally only entitled to a medical card if their parents have one. They may be entitled to a medical card or a GP visit card...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Alex White: I do not have anything to add to the response I gave other than to say any issue which arises in the operation of the GMS is and ought to be kept under review. If there is a specific issue in respect of a particular cohort, I am happy to look carefully at it. However, I do not want the Senator to think there is any intention to make any change in what we are doing. That said, I will...