State forcing Parkison’s patients to go abroad for therapy, claims expert

PATIENTS with Parkinson’s disease are having to go abroad for a revolutionary deep brain procedure because the State is not prepared to spend just €3 million on providing the same therapy in Ireland and at a much reduced cost, a medical expert has claimed.

The cost of the control therapy being provided to Irish patients in Britain is being met by the Health Service Executive (HSE), but neurosurgeon Stephen Young believes considerable cost savings could be made by providing the same therapy here.

Deep vein stimulation is a procedure that implants electronic sensors in key areas of the brain to stop the uncontrollable tremors or shakes of the hands, normally associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Ireland is the only country in the Western world not using the control therapy to manage Parkinson’s disease.

Mr Young, based in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, described the situation as “deeply frustrating”.

Not only were patients suffering the unnecessary distress and discomfort of travelling aboard but the costs, excluding flights and accommodation, were much higher than those that would he charged in Ireland, he claimed.

“Irish patients are paying up to €55,000 for the procedure.

“But I am confident that the same procedure can be carried out in Ireland for around €35,000, which is a significant saving,” he said.

Mr Young said the ideal location for such a service would be Beaumont Hospital — the centre of excellence for neurological treatment and the only hospital where neurosurgeons could or would carry out the procedure.

“If the Health Service Executive commits the funds, we can have the service up-and-running within weeks,” said Mr Young.

He said a system could also be established so that patients from all over the country could have their pre and post operative care carried out at a local or regional level.