John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is a very good and important motion, which I welcome. I thank the proposer and seconder for introducing it here. I find myself in full agreement with all that previous speakers have said. I agree particularly with Senator Ó Murchú, who said that we all think we know plenty about asthma until we actually do a bit of research into the figures and facts behind the obvious presentation of it. I am psychiatric nurse. I worked for nearly 30 years in hospitals and have come across asthma in its acute and subacute forms.It was only when we started to read the research papers we were given on this issue that we realised the impact the condition has at the personal and societal levels. I cannot conceive of anything more terrifying or alarming than finding oneself unable to breathe.

Some of the statistics provided today give rise to serious concerns. Senator Mary Ann O'Brien pointed out that Ireland has the fourth highest rate of asthma in the world, while Senator Power noted that one in five children aged between 13 and 15 years have asthma. I was unaware of these figures, which are incredibly high. Another awful statistic is that one person dies from asthma every week. The general public is not aware of these facts, which should be disseminated more widely.

The medical approach is best left to medical experts in consultation with sufferers and user groups. However, politicians have a role in the roll-out of policy at the medical, personal and societal levels. It is great news that a national model was approved recently. Will the Minister of State indicate what is the timeframe for the roll-out of the new programme?

Policy makers must consider ways in which we can make life easier for people who suffer from asthma and how the societal response to the condition can be made more cost-effective. Ultimately, everything comes down to money. Senator Burke spoke, for example, about the number of days at work and in school lost as a result of asthma. The figures he cited are alarming. I note also that 4,700 people are admitted to hospital as a result of asthma on average each year, with each hospital stay averaging 3.1 days. This means the treatment of asthma accounts for 15,000 bed days in hospital every year.

Approximately 60% of asthma sufferers do not have their condition under control and 40% of this group cite the cost of their medication as the main reasons for this lack of control. Asthma has a personal and societal cost. A recent survey carried out by the Asthma Society of Ireland found that asthma sufferers spend between €100 and €144 per month on asthma medication. Under the drugs payment scheme, no family or individual is required to pay more than €144 per month for medication. However, a person who pays €144 per month on medication will need to earn €3,500 before tax just to buy his or her medicines for the year. To put this figure in context, a person suffering from asthma who earns the average industrial wage needs to spend 10% of his or her earned income on medication. People suffering from asthma also report that they pay €250 on average per annum for general practitioner services and lose an average of 12 work days per annum. These are substantial costs for the individuals concerned.

In addition to the large number of hospital admissions caused by asthma, Senators Ó Murchú and Power pointed out that the condition is also responsible for approximately 50 attendances per day at accident and emergency units. I wonder if the budgets for community care and acute hospital services are structured in such a way as to make it impossible to take such matters into consideration. If the budget for the former declines, surely savings will be achieved in the latter budget. They seem to be structured in such a way that these issues cannot be taken into consideration.

What would be the net cost to the Exchequer of adding asthma to the 16 conditions covered by the long-term illness scheme? The figure should take into account the savings that would be achieved in many other areas and the significant number of asthma sufferers who are already covered under the medical card scheme. There will be net and gross figures for the cost of including asthma in the long-term illness scheme. I am interested in finding out the former. It would be fantastic if the Minister of State intended to include asthma in the scheme. If not, does she intend to roll out any other scheme that would specifically target asthma? I look forward to hearing her response.