Written Answers Nos. 716-735
716. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to confirm that all services and call outs by the ambulance and fire services are continuing as normal in the current fuel crisis and that no directive has been issued to reduce same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27891/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
717. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of children on CAMHS waiting lists in Donegal, broken down by area and by length of time in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27904/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
718. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital beds available in Ireland, broken down by local authority area and type of bed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27906/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
719. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of people that have been on trollies for extended periods, broken down by hospital and per week since the beginning of 2026 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27907/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
720. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of people that have been on trollies for extended periods, broken down as a weekly average per hospital in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27908/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
721. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a home help package in Donegal, by area, by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27909/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
722. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of people on occupational therapy waiting lists in Donegal, by area, by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27912/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
723. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health for the number of people on physiotherapy waiting lists in Donegal, broken down by area and by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27914/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
724. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health for the number of children awaiting dental appointments in Donegal, broken down by area and by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27915/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
725. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies within Letterkenny University Hospital, broken down by occupation, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27916/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
726. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to ensure a person (details supplied) in County Longford receives their full allocation of home support hours, where it is understood they are currently receiving significantly less than approved; and the measures that are in place to address issues with coordination between service providers. [27917/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
727. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if Letterkenny University Hospital are currently able to meet the commitment, in line with legislation, to undertake a full investigation into complaints and provide a written response within 30 days; if not, the reason LUH are not able to meet this commitment; the percentage of complaints that are being responded to within the 30-day period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27923/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
728. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for dermatology treatment in Donegal, by type of treatment, by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27939/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
729. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for audiology treatment in Donegal, by type of treatment, by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27940/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
730. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the percentage of patients in Donegal that receive day-case chemotherapy within the target time of three weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27950/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
731. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the percentage of ambulance responses in Donegal that have met national response targets for the first quarter of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27955/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
732. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the reason long-term cancer medications, including hormone therapies used in cancer treatment and recurrence prevention, are not currently covered under the long-term illness scheme; whether consideration is being given to extending eligibility under the scheme to include such medications for cancer patients; whether consideration has been given to the automatic provision of a time-limited medical card to patients undergoing long-term cancer treatment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27956/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 to be covered by the Scheme. The full list can be found here: www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/lti/approved-medications/
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.
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. The HSE afford applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting documentation to determine whether undue hardship exists and to fully take account of all relevant circumstances that may benefit them in assessment. 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.
The issue of granting medical card eligibility based on having a particular disability or illness was previously examined in 2014 by the HSE Expert Panel on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility. The Group concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. In following the Expert Group’s advice, a person’s means remains the main qualifier for a medical card.
For those without a medical card, 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. Consideration of further changes to the DPS threshold will be made in the context of current healthcare priorities and the budget available.
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 DPS 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.
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%.
Since 2017, the Government has allocated €105 million to the National Cancer Strategy itself to support cancer services and improve outcomes for patients. Since then, very significant progress has been made in improving cancer services and there are now over 220,000 living with or beyond cancer, 50% more than a decade ago.
A team external to the Department of Health will conduct an evaluation of the current strategy this year and the outcome of this will inform the development of the next strategy. The evaluation will inform the next steps to be taken and will be done in conjunction with stakeholders including the National Cancer Control Programme and the National Cancer Registry of Ireland. The new strategy will provide an important opportunity to plan for the introduction of new therapies and treatments across the cancer continuum from prevention, screening, treatment, survivorship and palliative care.
733. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the design phase and rollout, including when planning applications will be submitted for elective treatment centres including endoscopy suites, design phase for the elective treatment centres is underway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27974/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE, as sponsoring agency with day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of the Elective Treatment Centres to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.
734. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the demand modelling for elective treatment centres for Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27975/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE, as sponsoring agency with day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of the Elective Treatment Centres in Dublin to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.
735. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health whether demand modelling for elective treatment centres for Limerick will be carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27976/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is fully committed to increasing elective-only day-case capacity through the Elective Ambulatory Care Programme. This is being delivered in two phases: a national network of Surgical Hubs in the first instance to meet medium-term demand and capacity, and then a national network of Elective Treatment Centres, also known as Elective Hospitals, to be located in Galway, Cork and Dublin. These new ‘elective-only’ facilities are for day-case patients, they are not for acute or emergency care. Significant international evidence supports the separation of scheduled (elective) and non-scheduled (emergency) care, leading to improved care for all patients.
Two Surgical Hubs are already operational, at the Reeves Centre in Tallaght and Mount Carmel Hub in South Dublin. A further five hubs are expected to open this year in Limerick, Swords, Galway, Cork and Waterford. Plans are also in development for Surgical Hubs in Letterkenny and Sligo.
The Limerick Surgical Hub - located at the former Scoil Carmel site on O’Connell Avenue in Limerick City - will significantly increase theatre capacity in the region. The complex will have four operating theatres and two procedure rooms, as well as additional consultation and assessment rooms, recovery bays and functional support space. Operating as a satellite of University Hospital Limerick (UHL), the Hub will improve access to day surgery in multiple surgical specialties for patients across the Mid-West. The Limerick Surgical Hub will treat large numbers of routine day case patients, freeing up hospital capacity for more complex procedures and helping people get surgery sooner. Once fully operational the Hub will be expected to deliver additional annual activity of circa 8,000 day case procedures, 5,700 minor ops procedures and approximately 18,500 Outpatient Department (OPD) appointments.
Alongside delivery of the Surgical Hubs, planning is underway through the Elective Care Programme for the new national Elective Treatment Centres. These are being developed to provide capacity to sufficiently meet the country’s longer-term elective care capacity needs. Over the course of NDP 2026-2030, plans for the Elective Treatment Centres will be progressed through detailed design and statutory planning, with the ambition to progress these to get construction underway. Following detailed design, the HSE’s objective is to submit planning applications for both Cork and Galway in mid-2026, with construction to follow in due course.
These new facilities will not be regional-only, but rather as a comprehensive national network, with the new Surgical Hubs and with the Elective Treatment Centres in Cork, Galway and Dublin providing national coverage and enabling delivery of care for all patients. The locations were chosen to allow for new facilities of a size and scale to implement a programme that will tackle waiting times and future health needs on a national basis. The Government is clear that everyone across the country should have access to sufficient and appropriate elective surgical capacity, not just those living in a particular catchment area. Geography will therefore not be a barrier; instead, doctors and consultants will be able to refer on the basis of patient need. This will help to reduce waiting times for elective procedures and ultimately lead to a more efficient and responsive system for all.
