Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

628. To ask the Minister for Health when the Sláintecare project on the development of a national diabetes register will recommence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27231/22]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

629. To ask the Minister for Health if he accepts the need for a national diabetes register; the reason that there is no current register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27232/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 629 together.

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.