Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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340. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the regulations that exist to govern private eye laser surgery centres and particularly to protect persons and ensure they have proper follow-up treatment and recourse in the event of post-operative problems arising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29549/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Following concerns which were expressed in relation to the safety and quality of surgical cosmetic procedures in Ireland, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer prepared, in collaboration the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons, a short guideline containing a number of recommendations for individuals who may be considering surgical cosmetic procedures. Much of this guidance and the recommendations for patients, which was issued in July 2012, is equally relevant to those patients considering laser refractive surgery and cosmetic procedures. The guidance is available on the Department's website.

More broadly, as the Deputy may be aware, my Department is currently advancing a number of initiatives aimed at improving the quality and safety of both public and private health services in Ireland. This includes the Patient Safety Licensing Bill, which will for the first time introduce a regulatory regime for all hospitals in the State, public and private, as well as certain designated high risk activities which take place outside a hospital setting. I hope to be able to refer this new Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in the autumn. In advance of that, the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill, which has recently undergone pre-legislative scrutiny with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, will allow for the extension of the Health Information and Quality Authority's remit to private hospitals. In addition, legislative provisions in relation to the open disclosure of patient safety incidents, contained within the Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2017, are currently making their way through the Oireachtas.

I would also note that, beyond these coming changes to the regulatory environment, it is also the case that clinicians remain subject to the requirements of their professional regulatory bodies.