Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. I welcome Professor Maura Adshead from the school of politics and public administration at the University of Limerick, who is in the Public Gallery. She is shadowing me for the day so it will be an interesting experience for both of us.

I am here to enquire about an update on the advertisement for a specialist MS nurse for University Hospital Limerick. We had this same debate last May where I was informed that the position would be advertised and filled. The report that was issued in March 2016 stated there should be three specialist MS nurses for any hospital that serves over 475,000 or close to 500,000 people. There is no specialist MS nurse in University Hospital Limerick. It is terrible for those who have been diagnosed with MS. The number of people diagnosed with the condition has increased in recent times. It is crucial that this position is filled as soon as possible. MS nurses are very helpful in terms of helping with the diagnosis, as well as helping MS patients with their medication and advice. Patients must contact a nurse in Cork or other parts of the country, which is not satisfactory. The report highlighted the fact that we need three specialist MS nurses in the mid-west but we currently have none. I am really disappointed because I was informed in May that the position would be advertised and filled very quickly yet there has been no advertisement to date so I would really like an update today.