The cost of establishing a deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment programme in Ireland would be greater than sending patients abroad for this treatment, however an Irish programme would significantly benefit those patients who need DBS, it has been claimed.

DBS is a type of surgery used to treat the symptoms of various movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia and essential tremor, when these can no longer be controlled by medication alone.

The treatment may enable patients to have greater control over their symptoms resulting in an improved quality of life, however DBS does not cure the underlying condition and its effects are reversible.

Ireland does not currently have a DBS programme, so patients requiring it are sent to the UK for treatment. Funding for this is provided under the E112 Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS).

According to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), which carried out an assessment of this, since 1997, more than 130 Irish patients have obtained DBS treatment abroad.

"This assessment shows that, for equal numbers of patients treated, the current system where patients are routinely referred to the UK for treatment, costs less than a proposed service provided nationally.

"However, an adequately resourced Irish service would have benefits, both for the overall numbers of patients who can avail of the treatment, as well as for individual patients receiving long-term DBS care," explained Dr Mairin Ryan of HIQA.

She noted that patients who can travel have access to high quality care in established DBS centres in the UK. However, having a DBS programme here would benefit those patients who cannot travel overseas.

"It would also reduce the significant financial and logistical burden on patients who do travel to access care and would facilitate greater integration of services, since all stages of the assessment, surgery and follow-up care could be carried out in Ireland.

"Access to emergency care in cases of adverse effects or complications would also be improved, as the need to obtain TAS approval and arrange overseas travel at short notice would be removed," HIQA said.

However, its assessment showed that the cost of running a DBS programme would exceed the cost of sending patients to the UK by around €21,000 per patient over 10 years. Over a five year period, it would cost €4.29 million to treat Irish patients in the UK. An Irish programme would cost an extra €1.84 million.

Meanwhile Dr Ryan also noted that an Irish programme would place further demands on a neurological service that already has 'significant capacity constraints'.

As of May 2012, there were over 500 patients waiting for neurosurgical procedures in Ireland, almost 40% of whom were waiting more than six months.