Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank also the Minister of State for being present to take this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Government. The issue concerns health policy on the pre-treatment of children and aftercare, with particular reference to childhood diabetes.

The first issue relating to pre-treatment concerns a vaccination programme and what seems to be an uneven spread of take-up throughout the country due to decisions made about resources. While I realise that decisions on resources and administration are matters for the Health Service Executive, I am enquiring whether there is a policy that certain types of vaccination would be available regardless of geographic location and, in particular, would be available to children and parents of children in specific cases. It was decided in Cork that BCG vaccinations would not be made available. While the cost, €40,000, was quite low for the number of children involved it seems curious that an administrative decision, with consequences for health policy in general, can be made in one part of the country while the parents and children could have access to that vaccination elsewhere. In raising this Adjournment matter I am attempting to find out why that is the case. If the Minister of State is unable to provide a direct answer now I would appreciate if an official of the Department of Health and Children could forward the information. There are tremendous strains on the health service in respect of frontline services but the point I raise today is that if we are clear about policy and put resources into preventative health care and continuing care outside hospital services, we could save much of the current grief about the bottleneck where health service resources are provided.

The treatment of childhood diabetes in the Cork area is of constant concern. The backup team available to children and parents is small compared to services provided elsewhere in the country. There is nothing like the number of doctors, nurses and physiotherapists available in other areas. The former southern health board area, comprising Cork and Kerry, appears to have a preponderance of children suffering from type 1 diabetes. People are born with this rather than acquiring it. I would have thought a national health service, such as the title of the HSE implies, could identify these clusters and allocate resources appropriately. The role of the Department of Health and Children should ensure equality of access to service throughout the country.

It is hard to understand why these difficulties exist in Cork, the second city in Ireland. It should not have them, and they are even more prevalent in isolated, rural communities. That these problems exist at all in a major urban centre is a cause for concern. I wish to put these concerns on record and pose a number of questions, to which I expect a detailed response. By taking the opportunity to make these concerns known I hope to see a process set up to provide effective answers and action in these areas.