Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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185. To ask the Minister for Health the timeframe for when it is proposed that the virtual disease registries will be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25028/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is currently preparing heads of a Health Information Bill. The objective of the Bill is to provide an enabling legal framework that will support the development of a fit for purpose health information system, including the development of virtual disease registries. The Bill is regarded as a priority and being progressed accordingly.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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186. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to reinstate Sláintecare funding for the national diabetes registry project in order that its results will inform future projects relating to other chronic diseases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25029/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The development of a national diabetes registry remains a priority. The National Diabetes Registry Demonstrator Project, funded through Sláintecare, was paused as key HSE staff were redeployed onto urgent on-going COVID-19 work. Following substantial increases in investment in eHealth, the national diabetes registry is now being considered as part of a wider review of Ireland’s health information strategy, and will operate as a “virtual” registry.

Government approval was given in April to prepare the General Scheme of a Health Information Bill. It is envisaged that the Bill will include a provision to enable the operation of disease-specific “virtual” registries, including a virtual national diabetes registry, where information on disease diagnoses and treatment from healthcare providers is efficiently collated, combined and quality-checked from administrative records to create a database akin to an active registry for each disease. This will greatly improve the potential to monitor rare-disease prevalence in Ireland.