Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to the Senator and can assure her the Minister appreciates the difficulty faced by people suffering from this awful condition. She spoke about those who are genetically predisposed to this disease living in direct provision centres and requested a database be set up and satellite care centres be provided. That is a very worthy solution to a very difficult issue.

There is no doubt with the growing prevalence of the disease, services for adults are stretched. The services available for those with sickle cell disease faced capacity challenges in recent years as the demand for both paediatric and adult services have increased. I am pleased to inform the Senator the HSE continues to enhance and develop these services in order to provide the necessary level of care to those suffering from this condition.

It is encouraging that the centre at CHI Crumlin has been designated as an expert centre for haemoglobin and red cell disorders. The good work of the HSE at the expert centre in Crumlin was reflected in the approval in 2017 by the European Commission for the inclusion of CHI in the European reference network, EuroBloodNet, and further developments at the centre have been prioritised by the HSE in 2022. I again thank the Senator for raising this issue.