Results 321-340 of 1,019,952 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Brendan Smith) in 'Committee meetings'
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Richard Bruton: Deputy Staunton asked me to take this question for him. He is concerned that genetic variants are responsible for between 5% and 10% of cancers. He is concerned about whether we have an adequate funding model and about the waiting lists for this genetic testing because effective screening reduces healthcare substantially in the longer term.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: The national cancer strategy provides recommendations concerning the monitoring, testing and provision of comprehensive care to people who have an inherited predisposition to cancer, and the national cancer control programme, NCCP, leads on the development of services for this potential patient cohort. The national cancer control programme hereditary model of care was published last...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Richard Bruton: Deputy Staunton is very concerned about the current waiting lists. The Irish Cancer Society reports waiting lists of up to two years for testing. There is then potentially a further two years waiting for the risk-reducing procedure that the test may have signalled. Is the Minister monitoring waiting times? Will the new initiative involve a multi-annual plan for staffing and investment so...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: The service line is essentially a subset of the national cancer strategy, so any funding we get will be in the context of funding through next year for the national cancer strategy. There is also a separate funding line for the genetics and genomic strategy, which is fairly recent. Specifically on those services for patients with a predisposition to cancer, we have direct ordering of BRCA...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Richard Bruton: I ask the Minister to check those waiting times and report back to me and Deputy Staunton because the Irish Cancer Society is signalling quite long waiting times. For a screening test that can reduce long-term healthcare, it is to be hoped that it could be made more prompt.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cancer Services (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: I will ask the Department to revert to Deputies Bruton and Staunton. I want to mention good progress in two other areas. Two new types of testing were introduced last year for specific treatments. The first was homologous recombination deficiency testing for treatment of ovarian cancer. The second test is for NTRK gene fusions, which can lead to cancers of the brain, head, neck, thyroid,...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)
Health Services Staff
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)
Pearse Doherty: 12. To ask the Minister for Health when he will meet with the Donegal branch of an organisation (details supplied) to address its concerns regarding broken promises to improve diabetes services in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19824/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland is urgently requesting a meeting with the Minister. He met the group briefly in a hotel in Donegal in 2022. The group was hoping to meet with the Minister last year, but the situation has got even worse since the meeting happened in 2022. The issue concerns adults with type 1 diabetes and the lack of endocrinologists, podiatrists and advanced nurse...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy said, I have met the group in question, which is very active and effective in Donegal. I will highlight some of the important progress that our healthcare workers in Letterkenny University Hospital, LUH, have achieved. It really is very encouraging to see. In the last while, they have reduced the number of patients awaiting first appointment by two thirds, which is fantastic....
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: What the Minister has just read out does not tally with the request for the meeting that has been sent to him. The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland has said that the situation with patient safety at the hospital is "beyond critical". There is currently no endocrinologist in the hospital and there are three vacant posts. There are no advanced nurse practitioners. Two posts were not...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (2 May 2024)
Ruairi Ó Murchú: We all welcome the moves relating to preventative care. As part of a perfect solution, we would eventually have a sufficient level of public dentistry to provide what is required. I am glad that some people are getting necessary dental care through the private sector. The numbers have obviously jumped. In 2021, in the Louth-Meath area, 77 patients were accepted at a cost of...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: I fully take on board what the Deputy said. It is very worrying for these children and their parents. Good progress is being made. We have to go further. I am happy to ask my Department to engage with the HSE and revert to the Deputy along with Deputy Cullinane, who tabled the question, with a note relating to category five and give them more detail for Louth and Meath, the counties...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (2 May 2024)
Ruairi Ó Murchú: I would appreciate that. The parents are very worried and probably a bit perturbed when they are contacted the HSE, not with a date but to ask whether they have already taken action by going to the North. As much as we want public provision, we need to find a solution for these patients similar to category four patients. I ask for that note as soon as possible. It would really make a...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Dental Services (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy referred to two cases. If he send me the details, I will ask the HSE to take a look and revert to him directly.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Aids and Appliances (2 May 2024)
Medical Aids and Appliances
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Aids and Appliances (2 May 2024)
Ruairi Ó Murchú: 11. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the review under way into the funding and provision of post-mastectomy products; when the review will be completed; if stakeholders, including cancer survivors and post-mastectomy product fitters, will be consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19294/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Aids and Appliances (2 May 2024)
Ruairi Ó Murchú: I ask the Minister to provide an update on the review underway into the funding and provision of post-mastectomy products, when the review will be completed and if stakeholders, including cancer survivors and post-mastectomy product fitters, will be consulted? We all know the issue that blew up inside this Chamber and on the Joe Duffy show on radio. I was contacted by Alison McCabe from...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Aids and Appliances (2 May 2024)
Stephen Donnelly: What happened here was that the HSE published national procedures without discussing the issue with me and without proper consultation with the Department. I got a phone call from a fantastic activist who is also a Fianna Fáil councillor, Teresa Costello, asking me what in the name of God I was doing removing supports from women. I said that under no circumstances were any supports...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medical Aids and Appliances (2 May 2024)
Ruairi Ó Murchú: Hopefully, that will be done as soon as possible. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle allowed a breach of protocol and I thought it was very useful when the Minister got up and explained that this was not going to happen. There is a need to deal with protocols regarding how stuff like this happens. More important, we need to ensure this review involves engagement with consultants, breast care...