Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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451. To ask the Minister for Health the current status of the pancreas transplantation programme at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 9; his plans to ensure that the programme recommences; the efforts being made to recruit a transplant surgeon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29574/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The consultant who undertook pancreas transplants at Beaumont Hospital retired at the end of 2014. Beaumont Hospital is making every effort to fill vacancies on its renal transplant programme. Given the limited number of surgeons who specialise in transplantation, the filling of any vacancy poses a challenge.

It is proposed that pancreas transplants, of which 6 were performed in 2014, will move to St Vincent’s University Hospital. As St Vincent’s is already established as the National Liver Transplant Centre, and is a designated centre for pancreas cancer services, it is well placed to undertake pancreas transplants. Most pancreas transplants are combined with a kidney transplant. The arrangements being put in place for such cases will involve transplant surgeons from St Vincent’s University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital working together on the St Vincent’s campus.

A joint assessment clinic for patients who are waiting for a pancreas/kidney transplant, involving consultants and nurses from both Beaumont and St. Vincent's, will be held on 24 July. Every effort is being made to have all the necessary arrangements and protocols in place to facilitate St. Vincent's being in a position to undertake pancreas transplants from mid-September, should a suitable donor/recipient match occur.