Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As recommended by the working group I established following the publication of the Mazars ‘Review of the Governance Arrangements and the Resources in place to support the HSE’s reimbursement and pricing decision-making process’ in February 2023, funding for an additional 34 WTE for the agencies involved in the HSE’s medicines pricing and reimbursement system has been allocated by Government.

These additional staff, to be hired across 2024, will allow each agency to operate to its full potential, ensuring timely and efficient assessment of applications.

Investing in this capacity will support agencies to operate to the fullest of their ability, providing timely and efficient evaluation of medicines for reimbursement. It is hoped this will indicate a commitment to positive collaboration and incentivise more timely applications from industry.

More detail on the measures to be implemented in 2024 are set out in the HSE’s National Service Plan (NSP). These include €30 million in additional funding for new medicines and a commitment to deliver increased visibility on the steps / progress made by each individual medicine through the HSE assessment and approval processes.