As the Taoiseach knows, a thrombectomy is a surgery to remove a blood clot from an artery or a vein. The procedure can restore bloodflow to vital organs, such as legs, arms, intestines, kidneys, brain or other vital organs. A thrombectomy can also greatly reduce the risk of death or permanent disablement if performed properly. A thrombectomy must be preformed within a matter of hours to prevent life- or limb-threatening complications from occurring. Not all blood clots require intervention. Considering its impact on patients, it would make perfect sense to fund this procedure.

According to the Irish Heart Foundation, most stroke patients will die or suffer severe disabilities if the plug is pulled on a pledge to fund these vital stroke services. This warning comes after the Health Service Executive has done a u-turn on promises for funding to the national stroke strategy, thereby restricting life-saving services, such as thrombectomies, while also increasing the risk of the closures of stroke units.

The Minister for Health said last March that the stroke strategy would provide significant improvement in service delivery and would improve patient flow and efficiency in the delivery of stroke services. However, just months later, it was being defunded, a failure in the whole-of-life strategy that will cost lives without saving the health service a cent. The HSE has been allocated a considerable budget of €23.5 billion for 2024, representing an increase of 4.6% on last year's funding. Will the Taoiseach liaise with the Minister for Health to ensure that adequate funding is provided? It is very important that these services are saved.

The prediction up to 2035 is that strokes are going to increase by 60%. Some 25% of people will survive if they get the proper services. It is important that we invest in these people.

In respect of home care packages, there are many in hospitals who are looking to get rehabilitated but have nowhere to go. Carers are very important.

The Taoiseach, as a doctor, will know, as we all do, that prevention is the best cure. Perhaps I am getting a bit older but the number of people I see having strokes, day to day, is unbelievable. High cholesterol is one of the signs that is out there at the moment and it is very important that the Department of Health lets people know what the indications are. All I am saying is that we need the funding and services. The Taoiseach's Department rang me yesterday and I told his officials exactly what I was going to speak about today. A few weeks ago, I spoke about people having heart attacks. Your health is your wealth. What is the Government's plan, going forward, for the funding of services for strokes?

I thank the Deputy for raising the really important issue of stroke on Leaders' Questions. I know the topic has been raised previously but not for a long time. We all know the extent to which stroke affects people and their families. We know people who have died as a result of stroke, people who are surviving with the effects of stroke or who are at risk of stroke. We have a national stroke strategy, which runs to 2027. It aims to modernise and reform our services in line with the Sláintecare policy and to deal with the challenges facing Ireland from population aging and the predicted increase in the total number of strokes across Europe, including Ireland. We are fully committed to making improvements and advances in stroke services.

We have allocated more than €7 million to fund the strategy in the past two budgets. We are making real progress. The recently published Health at a Glance report shows 30-day mortality after admission to hospital for a stroke per 100 admissions for people aged 45 and over in 2021 stood at 6.3. That shows a decrease from 6.8 in 2019 and from 10.1 in 2011. To cut a long story short, a person is almost twice as likely to survive a stroke today than in 2011. That is considerable progress.

We now rank fifth best out of 18 EU member states. A comparison ranking for the same statistic over time shows we were ranked eighth best of the participating EU member states in 2016 and tenth best in 2011. Again, to cut a long story short, we have moved from tenth place to fifth place since 2011. Therefore, there has been very considerable progress in this regard. My particular thanks to all those involved in the stroke programme in primary care and our hospitals for making those very real improvements possible.

The expansion of the GP contract also includes opportunistic case finding of high blood pressure in those over 45 who hold a GMS or GP-visit card. The contract is now in place and the service commenced this year. Opportunistic case finding is one strand of the HSE’s chronic disease management programme and is for patients whom GPs suspect may have an undiagnosed chronic disease or those at risk of developing one. High blood pressure is a key risk factor for developing a stroke, and this measure is a significant step towards the full implementation of the prevention pillar of the strategy.

On recruitment, funding for 25 staff was made available in budget 2023 for the recruitment of consultants, nurses and health and social care professionals to implement the strategy. To date, 12 have been recruited, including three consultants in our specialist acute stroke units and our endovascular thrombectomy services. A speech and language therapist has also been recruited, and a total of eight staff across a range of health and social care professions have been recruited to expand our early supported discharge team network, an evidence-based model of care proven to reduce hospital length of stay and provide more care in the community.

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. What I am asking is that we make sure we have the funding and services going forward. As the Minister for Health knows, Louth County Hospital has a very good stroke unit, and the people from the local area avail of it. My problem is that the prediction for the period up to 2025 is a 60% increase in strokes. Therefore, it is important that we invest more money. Twenty units are already under severe strain and there is talk of some places not having enough staff or funding. Therefore, it is important the Taoiseach consider the current situation.

The number of people I know who got a stroke in recent months is noteworthy. It is important that when they go to accident and emergency or elsewhere, they receive aftercare. The accident and emergency departments have been so overcrowded that it is very important that when a person presents with a suspected stroke, the right people are in the hospitals. The more stroke units and stroke staff, the better to assist people. Will the Taoiseach please ensure the funding and services go to the stroke units?

I thank the Deputy. I assure him absolutely that stroke care and treatment form an area in which we will continue to invest. We will invest more this year and indeed in the coming years.

Somebody who has a stroke today in Ireland is 40% more likely to survive it than in 2011. Since 2011, we have gone from tenth place to fifth place in the EU 18. This is one of the many areas where we see patient outcomes improving in Ireland and overtaking those in the rest of the European Union and, in particular, the United Kingdom. We still do not have enough patients accessing stroke care units, notwithstanding the number of additional units around the country. Our target is to have 90% of stroke patients treated in a stroke care unit. The rate is now sitting at about 70%, so there is a 20% gap between where we are and our target. We have to make sure we put the resources behind closing that gap, and we will.