Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I know he is stepping in for the Minister for Health on this matter. Ireland has the highest rate of hereditary haemochromatosis, which is a condition caused by the gradual accumulation of excess iron in the body, in the world. Haemochromatosis can develop without symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage at which it can be fatal. The treatment of hereditary haemochromatosis simply involves the removal of a pint of blood. At the moment, the process in the Cork region is that it is dealt with in a clinic at Cork University Hospital, CUH. A number of general practitioners who are prepared to offer this service have come together. It is not about trying to take over someone else's territory; it is very much about trying to alleviate the problems in the clinic in CUH. All of this would have huge benefit for patients in the clinic in question. If the GPs were able to deal with it, a substantial cohort of patients would be rapidly and permanently removed from CUH. This would allow the relevant department in the hospital to service an additional clinic. It would be cost-neutral from an infrastructure and manpower perspective. Waiting lists would be gradually reduced.

I will set out what the GPs are basically looking for. University College Cork, UCC, is prepared to come on board to research the viability of the project. I understand the amount of money involved in putting it together is approximately €28,000. UCC is prepared to carry out the research. A number of GPs would work with CUH and UCC to develop a clear protocol for the management and treatment of hereditary haemochromatosis. The GP practices would rigorously implement the agreed quality protocol. When patients enter the maintenance phase of management, they would be referred to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service to become blood donors. Patients who are not eligible to become blood donors would continue to attend the treating GP. I understand that the blood taken from the patients attending CUH is destroyed. It does not even go to the blood bank.

It is being proposed that this service should be provided as part of a joint approach between CUH, the GPs, UCC, which will do the research, and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. I understand the annual cost saving in the Cork region alone would be approximately €1.2 million. I am astonished that the HSE is not buying into the proposal. I have been told that the GPs who came forward with the proposal are talking about walking away from it because they feel it is being pushed down the road. I believe it should not be pushed down the road. If this cost-saving exercise leads to the provision of this service in local areas around the county of Cork, people will not have to travel all the way into CUH from north and west Cork, etc. I think that is another one of the advantages of this scheme.