Medicine prices in Ireland are amongst the highest in Europe, a new paper shows, following a five-fold increase in Government spending on drugs over the last tenyears. Dr Michael Barry, who has delivered a report to Health Minister Harney on ways of reducing spending under the Community Drugs Schemes, has published a paper, which outlines [...]
The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has said it is in a position to treat patients currently waiting long periods for colonoscopies. “The NTPF has the resources, budget and capacity to provide these scopes within weeks,” a spokesperson said. Latest NTPF figures show 1,636 public patients waiting more than three months for colonoscopies, with a [...]
The cost of the HSE’s incorrect approach to cutting the margins on drugs last March is expected to run to €8.5 million per month, a total of €51 million, it has emerged. The Commercial Court, ruling in the Hickey case in September, found the HSE to be in breach of its contract with pharmacies in [...]
Calls for restrictions on the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) have been strongly criticised by professionals working in the field. British-based consultant gastroenterologist Dr Mike Stroud, who chaired a UK committee on ONS, said the supplements were ‘cost effective’ and that his committee recommended them for use in malnourished patients or patients at risk [...]
The Medical Council has bought an online registration system for €600,000, replacing its paper system. Doctors will now be able to go online to apply and pay for registration, and request a Certificate of Good Standing. The system will also feature a ‘my page’ facility for individual doctors. The company providing the system is Dublin-based [...]
Synchrony Healthcare has signed an agreement with the HSE and St James’s which will see it build a new facility providing 195 in-patient beds, 72 outpatient beds and eight operating theatres. An application for planning permission will now be submitted. Under the terms of the agreement, Synchrony Healthcare has been granted a 65-year lease. [...]
The perennial problem of traffic congestion at University Hospital Galway (UHG) may be ‘parked’ for good following confirmation that the HSE is to proceed with the construction of a new 146-space car park and accompanying ring-road around the hospital campus. Planning permission for the peripheral ring-road has been granted by Galway City Council, and the [...]
Over the past two weeks the HSE has been investigating an outbreak of Botulism among heroin users in Dublin. Four possible cases were notified in the week of November 24th. The incident is being managed by an outbreak control team from the Department of Public Health (East) and alerts have been issued to drug services [...]
A total of 3,620 patients are currently waiting over three months for diagnostic scopes, including, in more than half of these cases, a colonoscopy. While this total represents a reduction of one-third since this time last year, the National Treatment Purchse Fund (NTPF) has repeatedly said it has the resources and capacity to deal with [...]
The vast majority of cannabis users are being supplied by family and friends, a cross-border study has revealed. There has also been an upsurge in the amount of the drug being grown in the Republic and Northern Ireland. A study on the habits of users found 30% of the cannabis smoked in the North is [...]
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