Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Daly for coming to the House today. I am absolutely disappointed that the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris did not see that it was fit for him to be present because of the number of people affected by the withdrawal of Versatis. Does he not think that the 25,000 people affected were sufficient to warrant him coming to this House? I am not sure what else he is doing, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I thank Deputy Daly for being present.

I wish to welcome the people in the Gallery who have direct experience of this. They know what it is like as they are going through this pain. People are present from Chronic Pain Ireland, Arthritis Ireland, Fibro Ireland and all of the other organisations. They are in pain and are not making it up. They have lots of better things they could be doing today, but this is an issue that has caused physical and mental distress to thousands of low income citizens and their families. I stress that many in pain have low incomes.

For several weeks we have been unsuccessfully trying to get answers to a number of questions. I furnished some of these questions to the Minister in advance of today's debate because I wanted the answers to be incorporated into the Minister's opening speech.

I asked whether the HSE had made any attempt to negotiate a better price with the manufacturers of Versatis before this decision was taken. I want a "yes" or "no" answer and I want details of what was done and how the price was reduced.

Was there a full and proper cost benefit analysis carried out before limiting access to Versatis? Did the HSE consider the extra costs associated with the alternative medication, the hospitalisation, the home help, the home care, the antidepressants and all the other costs related to this decision, as well as the numbers of people who would have to reduce their working hours and come out of the workplace because of the pain they would now experience?

How can we say that it is perfectly fine to prescribe Versatis for pain relief for patients who do not have shingles, but who can pay for it? How can it be safe for those who can pay but for those who cannot pay it is not safe? How can it not be safe for those who have a medical card and the drugs payment scheme? I do not get the reasoning. I want somebody to clarify that point for me. How can the use of Versatis be safe for one cohort of patients and not safe for the other cohort of patients? Does the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, not trust the judgment of the GPs and the medical consultants who prescribe Versatis? Does he not think that introducing an additional layer of approval totally undermines the patient, the GP, and the consultant relationship? No indication was given to the GPs on how to take patients off this treatment safely. I saw what was given to the GPs and I thank all the GPs and consultants who have contacted us in the past several months. I saw that it purely related to cost, not to patient safety.

In terms of the appeals, it takes a medical professional at least 90 minutes to do a proper appeal and then it has to be done every three months. The GPs and consultants cannot see the numbers of people who need to be seen, never mind an additional task of form filling that takes 90 minutes for 25,000 patients. It makes no sense whatsoever. The Minister will respond with information on the numbers in the United Kingdom not using Versatis, but perhaps there is a direct correlation between the fact that there are 700,000 people waiting for treatment and for procedures in this country. The Minister needs to take that into consideration. He needs to look at the waiting list for the pain management clinics as well.

We cannot get the right figures for the pain management clinic that is nearest to my constituency in Galway. However, I can tell the Minister that patients have been waiting at least two years before being told they must wait for another 15 months to get an appointment with the clinic. These people are in chronic excruciating pain. The solution to this most distressing situation is possible and must be lasting and sustainable. That can only happen once the Government looks at the issue in a patient-centred and compassionate manner.

At the stroke of a pen, the Minister of State, Deputy Daly or the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris can go back to the HSE and request it to carry out a review of the decision to restrict Versatis for low income patients. Deputies Daly and Harris can ask them to revert to the pre-December position whereby those experiencing chronic and unbearable pain can avail of Versatis regardless of their income.

Let me put it to the Minister of State that the time spent by very expensive senior HSE personnel would be better spent examining the international research around Versatis that demonstrates its effectiveness rather than looking at appeals. That is a pure waste of these people's money.