Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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389. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has plans to recognise inflammatory bowel disease under the long-term illness scheme, to provide patients with access to the necessary financial and medical support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33248/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975, prescribing 16 conditions covered by the Scheme. These are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide.

Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge. While there are currently no plans to extend the list of conditions, it is important to remember that the LTI Scheme exists within a wider eligibility framework.

There has been a significant focus on improving access to and the affordability of healthcare services over the last few years. This includes reductions in the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold, expansion of access to free GP care, and the abolition of all public in-patient hospital charges for children and adults. These measures continue to create a health and social care service that offers affordable access to quality healthcare.

People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be eligible for a medical card under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE.

In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. In circumstances where an applicant is still over the income limit for a medical card, they are then assessed for a GP visit card, which entitles the applicant to GP visits without charge.

Under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS), no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland. The DPS significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals with ongoing expenditure on medicines.

Individuals may also be entitled to claim tax relief on the cost of their medical expenses, including medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or consultant. Relief is at the standard tax rate of 20%.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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390. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has plans to include inflammatory bowel disease in the chronic disease management programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33249/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. The General Practitioner (GP) Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme commenced in 2020 and has been rolled out on a phased basis to adult GMS (Medical Card and GP Visit Card) patients over a 4-year period.

The CDM Programme represents a new approach in Ireland to working with patients to manage their healthcare. It has brought the care for chronic disease further into the community and closer to the patient, and has reduced hospital attendance by patients with one or more of the specified conditions.

The Programme has been expanded to include women who have had Gestational Diabetes, and from July this year will be further expanded to include Chronic Kidney Disease, among other conditions.

Further expansion of the Programme to include additional conditions would require rigorous clinical assessment and engagement with stakeholders, including the GPs delivering the service. Nonetheless, this could be considered in the future in the context of resource availability.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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391. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has plans to implement a fully funded, multi-disciplinary approach to inflammatory bowel disease care, to ensure that patients have access to the full range of healthcare professionals required to manage their condition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33250/25]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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392. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has plans to reinstate funding for advanced nurse practitioners in inflammatory bowel disease clinics, to ensure adequate staffing levels and the best possible care for patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33251/25]