Results 15,961-15,980 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: Pradaxa is available under the GMS Scheme, the Drug Payment Scheme and other community drugs schemes for the prevention of blood clots in adult patients who have undergone elective hip replacement surgery or elective knee replacement surgery. The HSE is assessing the availability of resources to provide for the long term treatment with Pradaxa for the prevention of stroke in patients with...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: Determination of eligibility for a medical card is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive and is based on a national assessment process for medical cards, details of which are available on the HSE's website (www.hse.ie). If a person has been refused a medical card they can lodge an appeal within 21 days. Details of the appeals process are forward to the applicant with their...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Drugs Payment Scheme: Drugs Payment Scheme (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — General Practitioner Services: General Practitioner Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Primary Care Services: Primary Care Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: Optical claims are processed by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) of the HSE. There are currently no delays in the processing of such claims. Claims must be approved by Local Health Offices before being submitted to PCRS for processing. If the Deputy would like to provide more information on the delay to which she refers I will make further enquiries with the HSE.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: The Government recognises the potential savings, for the taxpayer, which could be made from the use of generic drugs instead of proprietary drugs. The Programme for Government states that "reference pricing and greater use of generics will be introduced to reduce the State's large drug bill and the cost to individuals of their medicines." The draft Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical...

Written Answers — Dental Services: Dental Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: The information sought is currently being collated by the Health Service Executive and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Primary Care Services: Primary Care Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: I understand the HSE has written directly to the Deputy and advised that a National Needs Assessment was carried out, and subsequently reviewed in 2011, on the provision of Primary Care services, the location of Primary Care Teams and the requirement for Primary Care Centres (PCCs). PCCs are now being procured by lease agreement and by traditional means, i.e. construction. Where PCCs are due...

Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to report on what is taking place in the processing of medical card applications. Members will be aware that a decision was made some years ago to centralise the processing of all medical card applications. This was to be done on a phased basis. Last July a decision was taken by the HSE to centralise the...

Medical Cards (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: While a good deal of progress has been made in recent months in clearing the backlog, glitches remain in the system. There are particular difficulties with document handling and filing and these must be ironed out fully. We are working on these issues and there is now a good quality control system in place. I accept the Deputy's point that sometimes it is easier to start from scratch....

Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: Many new drugs either above or below these levels are approved, while many others above or below them are rejected. That input from the NCPE is only one of a number of elements taken into consideration in the decision making process to approve a new drug for reimbursement.

Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: Shortages of essential medicines are a source of concern not only in Ireland but also throughout Europe and the rest of the world. It is a global problem affecting health systems in all countries and impacting on patients worldwide. Medicines shortages can be the result of one, several or any combination of factors throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain such as manufacturing...

Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: As I stated, cost is but one of the elements taken into consideration. Whatever recommendation is made by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics is but one element in the decision making process. Other issues of concern include clinical effectiveness. This is the main factor taken into consideration. Cost-effectiveness, severity of disease, unmet needs, policy considerations, available...

Medicinal Products (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: My understanding is that tysabri is prescribed on the basis of clinical indications. If there are regional variations, I am not aware of them. I will check and revert to the Deputy later in the day. I agree absolutely with the Deputy that we need to be very vigilant about the prices charged for medicines. In many cases where new drugs are coming onto the market, the suppliers have a...

General Practitioner Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 37 together. The programme for Government commits to reforming the current public health system by introducing universal health insurance with equal access to care for all. As part of this reform programme the Government is committed to introducing universal GP care within the term of office of this Government. I have established the universal primary...

General Practitioner Services (16 May 2012)

Róisín Shortall: That issue of a limit being placed on incontinence pads should never have arisen and that decision has been reversed. It is no longer the case. It was unfortunate it happened, it should not have happened, and it has been dealt with. On contractual changes, it is not envisaged there will need to be a change to the GP contract to begin the process of introducing free GP care. It is true what...