Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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158. To ask the Minister for Health the financial supports available for those that suffer with haemochromatosis and require regular venesection; his plans to introduce financial supports to help with the significant financial burden regular treatment creates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41043/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The IBTS has been running a Haemochromatosis clinic in the Stillorgan Blood Donation Clinic since 2007 and sees approximately 600 patients annually. In this clinic the IBTS only accepts Hereditary Haemochromatosis (HH) patients who are eligible to donate blood. In 2013 and 2014, the IBTS commenced provision of a programme for HH patients in their D’Olier Street (Dublin) and St Finbarr’s Hospital (Cork) clinics, respectively. The Clinics provide phlebotomy at no cost to the patient with a prescription from their treating clinician. The phlebotomy would be performed, regardless of whether the patient wanted to have their unit converted to a donation.

The Deputy will be aware of the ongoing review of the GMS and other publicly funded contracts involving GPs, and that the next phase of discussions to progress this work is under way. I expect that the issue of therapeutic venesection services for patients with Haemochromatosis will be considered in the context of the overall GP contract review process.