Results 5,501-5,520 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (23 May 2013)

Alex White: Delivery of health care infrastructure is a service matter. Therefore your question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Charges (23 May 2013)

Alex White: Hospitals do not charge health insurance companies or their members the private accommodation charge for any time spent in A/E on trolleys. Under current legislation, private accommodation charges can only be raised for those private and semi private designated beds and does not include hospital trolleys.

Topical Issue Debate: Medical Card Reviews (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I cannot put it any plainer than I have. If any further issues arise for the Deputy, I will attend to them.

Topical Issue Debate: Medical Card Reviews (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Budget 2013 introduced some amendments to the guidelines governing the provision of medical cards and GP visit cards for those under the age of 70 years and those over that age. None of the changes that has been made to the schemes would affect this specific group of children in the manner suggested by the Deputy. No change has been made that...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I thank the Senators for their participation and contribution to the debate. I also thank them for their helpful insights into the relatively small number of issues that we have dealt with today. Last autumn the Seanad dealt with the Bill and Senators made a very helpful input. Today, the amendments have returned from the Dáil and the contributions have been helpful and very much on...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: Will the Senator please repeat that?

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I am trying to find my notes and if the Senator continues I am sure I will.

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: May I first address the points raised by Senators Marc MacSharry and Colm Burke? In regard to the timescales expected, my advice is that we can expect to see movement within two to three months of the signing into law of this Bill by the President which I hope will happen in a matter of a short number of weeks. I would expect that upon enactment, it will take two to three months for the...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: This relates to the notice period for the relevant decision to add or remove an item from the reimbursement list. As drafted section 19 of the Bill provides that the HSE shall give notice in writing to the supplier of the item of relevant decisions it makes regarding the reimbursement list. Section 19(3) provides that the HSE may specify a date for the implementation of decisions to add or...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: This relates to the criteria for price setting. Section 21 of the Bill sets out the criteria to be taken into account by the HSE when it is considering the proposed price of an item for inclusion on the list of reimbursable items. To address concerns regarding the need for the HSE to safeguard continuity of supply when setting prices, section 21(2) was amended to add "the ability of...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: This relates to compliance regulations. Section 32 of the Bill provides for amendments to the Pharmacy Act 2007 to ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of this Bill. Section 7 of the Pharmacy Act is amended to ensure it will be a function of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, PSI, to ensure that pharmacists operate generic substitution in accordance with the legislation....

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: Group 1 amendments broadly deal with a timeframe for decisions of the Irish Medicines Board on the inclusion of products on the list of interchangeable medicinal products and the reimbursement list. I do not know if I should read out the various amendments but I can deal with them by way of summary if Senators wish. These are amendments Nos. 1 and 3. Section 5 of the Bill provides that...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I thank both Senators. Senator Burke's point is key, as the effect of the amendments to the Bill as passed by Dáil Éireann will be to expedite the matter rather than the contrary. This will mean there will be a total period of 180 days to be considered, rather than a process of waiting until the final information is in before the 180 day period starts. If information is to be...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: I will explain it again if there is a wish to do so. We will not wait until the last piece of information is in before the clock starts on the 180 day period, which is what the original position would have been. Given these amendments, the total period will be 180 days. The effect will be to expedite the process.

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: The purpose of the amendment is not to lengthen the period. I agree with Senator MacSharry on the importance of expediting the applications, which should be done anyway. I agree very much with his emphasis in that respect. It would be wrong to imagine that it would take a period of multiple years to achieve the aims we are setting out. It is not appropriate to aggregate the periods in...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: The board can work on different sets of drugs simultaneously and there is no reason to believe the periods would be aggregated in that way. The Senator made a rhetorical point but the directive, to which we must have regard, helps us. We would have to abide by a directive even if it had an adverse effect but in this case it does not as the effect is positive.

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Alex White: This relates to a pharmacist's discretion not to dispense a medicinal product. The purpose of section 15 of the Bill is to ensure that requirements regarding generic substitution do not affect a pharmacist's discretion not to dispense a medicinal product. As originally drafted, section 15 was explicit in its expectation that the pharmacist's professional opinion will inform the decision to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (22 May 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Screening Programmes (22 May 2013)

Alex White: A National Review of Audiology was undertaken by the HSE during 2011 following which the Audiology Clinical Care Programme was established. The Programme is currently progressing implementation of the Review’s findings, which include the introduction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening nationally. The HSE has been asked to examine the query raised by the Deputy concerning a service...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (22 May 2013)

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...