Defibrillators Provision
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-24
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Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who cannot be here today. I will outline the current position with regard to the provision of medical devices and aid appliances. In general, for the HSE, medical devices are purchased through the HSE procurement system. The HSE also provides a wide range of aids and appliances free of charge to eligible people following assessment by a health professional. These are provided through community-funded schemes and play a key role in assessing and supporting people to remain living in their homes and local communities. A national list, including prescribing criteria, can be found on the HSE website.
On the specific issue raised by the Senator, the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, is the agency in Ireland with responsibility for regulating medical devices for the benefit of patients. The Department of Health engages closely with the HPRA on its remit. Officials from the Department have reached out to the HPRA directly regarding this issue.
The HPRA has advised that it has not been informed of an interruption or discontinuation of supply of batteries and pads for HeartSine Samaritan defibrillators. In light of this request, the HPRA will now contact the manufacturer to further clarify the status of this issue.
As part of its role, the HPRA monitors field safety corrective actions associated with medical devices. These may include return of the device to the supplier, device modification device exchange, device destruction, retrofit or advice regarding use of the device. In this context, the HPRA is aware of several ongoing actions impacting the HeartSine Samaritan products. I will have to check that out and come back to the Senator. Depending on the nature of the issue, these field safety corrective actions may have an impact on product availability. As part of the HPRA’s evaluation of any such actions, there is engagement with the manufacturer to assess the impact of these issues and any other impact on supply. In addition to engaging with the HPRA, the Department of Health has engaged with the HSE for information. The National Ambulance Service has confirmed that it does not use the devices and is not impacted by this issue.
In light of this Commencement matter raised today, the Department will further engage with the HSE to discuss whether any substantive issues arise. This is a really important issue. I know myself how important it is to have defibrillators in communities. Like the Senator, I see it in my own home constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, where we have volunteers on a regular basis who give up their time to help save lives. I will definitely check into this. I am only taking this today on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, but I feel it is a really important issue. I also want to thank everyone involved in this. With the amount of volunteers and goodwill in communities, it is exceptional how people are so good. I want to compliment them for the work they have done.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-24