Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will review the proposal to make deep brain stimulation available here, through a North/South initiative; if he will consider the idea of allowing procedures to be carried out in Northern Ireland in order that patients could have pre and post -operative care managed in the Republic, instead of patients in the Republic of Ireland having to go overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16930/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Following a request from the Health Services Executive (HSE), the Health Information and Quality Authority undertook a health technology assessment (HTA) to inform a decision regarding the provision of a deep brain stimulation service for adults with movement disorders in Ireland. At present, patients who require this treatment are referred to neurosurgical centres outside of Ireland (primarily the UK) for surgery and follow-up care, with funding being provided through the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). The purpose of this HTA was to compare this method of service delivery to that of a proposed national DBS service in Ireland. The Health Information and Quality Authority published the results of the HTA of a national deep brain stimulation (DBS) programme for adults with movement disorders in November 2012.

The Authority’s assessment found that the cost of a national DBS programme in Ireland would exceed the cost of continuing to fund DBS through the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) by approximately €21,000 per patient over 10 years. Over five years, the incremental budget impact of a national DBS service would be €1.84 million more than the estimated €4.29 million required to treat the same number of patients through the TAS. I have not received a proposal from the HSE in relation to the development a cross border brain stimulation service. I have forwarded your question to the HSE who will respond to you directly in relation to the position regarding the development of such a proposal.