Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise the issue of fibromyalgia and the need for an improved medical service in this area. As the Minister of State will know, this condition involves nerve dysfunction and causes chronic pain and fatigue. People who have the condition suffer a lot from migraine. Restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and difficulty in regulating one's body temperature are all part of fibromyalgia. There is a need for a proper structure to deal with this issue. A group presented to the Joint Committee on Health on this issue in July 2012 and very little progress has been made since. Changes have been made in respect of the recognition of this condition and the need for a planned approach to healthcare in Northern Ireland and the UK.

It is in that context that I am raising the issue of the need for a structure to be put in place not only within the Department of Health and the HSE, but within the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. This Department made a protocol, protocol 6, accessible online. This protocol is a 63-page document dealing with chronic pain and fibromyalgia. People who have this condition have difficulty in getting through the social welfare system in order to qualify for disability benefit or long-term illness benefit. It is in that context that I raise the issue of recognition for this condition and of a planned approach for dealing with patients who have this condition.