Results 1,641-1,660 of 11,183 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: So we are really talking about nearly 15%. I have not done a quick calculation of it but roughly around 15% are discretionary cards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: One of the issues that comes up with regard to medical cards is where someone has a medical condition and is over the threshold but, the only unit providing the kind of care that person requires is with the HSE and he or she cannot get access to it without a medical card. Has this come up quite a bit with regard to particular types of illnesses, where the person needs medical care, but that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: The person has an illness and needs ongoing care but does not qualify for a medical card because of his or her income levels, whereas the level of care that person requires involves access to public clinics to which he or she would not have an entitlement without a medical card.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I met a young man with multiple sclerosis whose wife was working so he was totally over the income limit. Initially, he could not get access to particular treatment unless he had a medical card. We got it over the line. He was refused initially. In fairness to the medical card division, it reviewed it and gave him a card, but this is the kind of thing I am talking about, where someone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes, but he was turned down initially. Many people would have walked away once they were turned down but in fairness to him and through my office, we did fight the issue and, in fairness to the HSE, it came on board. I am concerned there might be others with a similar medical condition who may decide, after being turned down, not to deal with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the second part of the Bill, which is about pharmacists being able to provide medicines without a prescription. Are we not behind the times regarding the way we deal with this? I have a bank card and can go anywhere in the world with it and get access to my bank account. If I go into three different hospitals in Cork, there is a paper file for me in each of them. When...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I know that but say I go into ten different pharmacies and get the same medication from each of them, there is no way the pharmacist can check where I have purchased them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I am just asking. That is the position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: When are we going to get there? Having one central file for each person has been proved to have produced a significant saving in Denmark. Remember that 1.6 million people are already on the system so why has it been long fingered for the past ten, 15 or 20 years? When are we going to move forward on this issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: We introduced it in five maternity hospitals so that all of the files of any patient admitted to any of those hospitals were computerised, but we have not done anything with any of the other 14 maternity hospitals. That is a good place to start off with. When can we put it into the other 14 hospitals?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I know, but it comes back to the issue about pharmacists being able to manage this area. If we had a central card system, we could devolve a significant amount of work to pharmacists in the morning because we would then have checks and balances. There are no checks and balances at the moment. Pharmacists will do their best. However, that does not prevent the situation arising where the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I understand that, but does Ms Seymour understand the point I am making? We want to expand what pharmacists can do. If we had a card system in place for everyone just as they have bank cards, the pharmacist could open a person's file and see a person already got a drug in another pharmacy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I accept that but when are we going to have the card system? Denmark started it in 1986. Here we are, not even at the starting block.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Exactly, but it has not delivered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: What is the timeframe of that project?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Would Ms Seymour accept that we already have information on 1.6 million people through the medical card system so we could use that as a base to start off with as regards computerising the medical records of the population? If someone is suddenly admitted to hospital through accident and emergency, if there is any information from when that person was in another hospital, the admitting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Will Ms Seymour come back to me about when it is envisaged?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: When is it intended for maternity hospitals? I understand five are done. When is it proposed to have the other 14 up and running?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: It is so important if we want to make the health service system more efficient and get better value for money rather than delays in accident and emergency. The doctor will understand the person was in hospital previously but does not know what they were on. The person himself or herself is not able to give instructions and does not even know what medication he or she is on. It is very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Would Ms Seymour accept that if we had that system in place, we could then do a lot more with the pharmacies because the pharmacists would have the protection?