Results 8,101-8,120 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy is exactly on the money. At a simple level, approximately one third of the overrun is due to demographics and an increase in patient demand. A second part of the overrun is price inflation. For example, medical and surgical supply prices increased significantly this year. A third part is a level of spending that arguably should not be happening. We are spending too much on...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: I have a table with me, which I will look to if the Deputy does not mind. Here are some of the inflationary pressures: medical and surgical supplies at approximately 23% this year versus last year; drugs and medicine at 18%; laboratory costs at 16%; and cleaning and washing at approximately 14%. We believe these numbers will decrease next year. A 23% year-on-year price growth was not...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: I agree that is it important that new medicines and therapies be available to patients. There was simply no new development funding this year. For the past few years, there has been significant new development funding for new medicines. There has also been a much better working relationship between the State and the pharmaceutical industry in recent years. While there is no new...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Yes. It has increased significantly. According to the OECD’s “Health at a Glance 2023” report, which was published not that long ago, Ireland spends a great deal on medicines compared with some other countries. Part of that might have to do with price, part of it might have to do with volume. I believe there are savings to be had. I have discussed this with the...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: That is right.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Yes.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: It is a lot.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: We are spending a lot. I would re-emphasise that the relationship between the industry and the State has not always been great, but over recent years, in fairness to the industry, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, IPHA, and others have engaged and the State has engaged. The two groups have engaged in a much more constructive way. I know those in the industry were...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Can I give the Deputy an example? It is a topical one that I was quite surprised at myself. He will be aware that we are funding free IVF as of September. We hope to expand that. What I had not realised when I was looking at funding for this and the kind of new development funding we need was that the State had already been subsidising private IVF. The medicines required for IVF might...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Yes. That has gone up a lot. There was a memorandum before Government yesterday on the State claims. I had figures gong back about ten years and they have gone right up. I might ask my officials to come in and give the last few years of changes.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: The answer to that lies with the State Claims Agency. The management of these claims does not sit with the Department of Health but with the State Claims Agency. At a clinical and specialty level, a very high amount of the total is in obstetrics and the catastrophic birth injuries that are seen. As I said earlier, our approach to addressing this starts and ends with a patient safety view....
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Traditionally we have had a bit of a blind spot in oral health. Colleagues will be aware that it became a big issue last year with public patients or medical card holders trying to access dental and oral healthcare. A large number of dentists withdrew from the scheme and it was causing issues. There has been a strong response to that. The Cathaoirleach will be aware that we increased the...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry to cut across the Chair. If I could just come back on that slightly, there has been a very significant increase in the money that is in the public scheme. The fees have gone up by approximately a half in one year. The dentists said they needed more money. We are paying them a lot more money. I will ask my officials to send a note to the committee but the last time I looked at...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Yes.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: There is some very positive news there. I had a meeting with Professor Donal O'Shea who is an endocrinologist and his colleagues who are bariatrics specialists. They made a very compelling presentation on exactly the issues the Chair raised. They referenced people heading to other countries, including Türkiye and other places, and coming back to Ireland with some significant...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Is the Deputy looking for a note on the current pipeline that is being evaluated?
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: I cannot do it now but I can certainly provide the Deputy with a note on it.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: It is unfortunate timing because the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has stepped out.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: Perfect timing. Will the Deputy repeat the question, because the Minister of State is best placed to answer it?
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2023) Stephen Donnelly: It is not for me to comment on the preparation or the internal notes from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. All I can tell the Deputy is that the bit that is on me, and my officials, is to make sure that we put the best possible case forward based on the evidence, and that is exactly what we did. I will make three quick points. In the...