asked the Minister for Health whether it is permissible for a dispensary doctor to charge a fee for a medical sickness certificate to a patient eligible for treatment under the dispensary system.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fees for Sickness Certificates.
25.
A district medical officer as such is only obliged to issue to a patient free of charge certificates required in connection with the admission of chargeable patients to mental hospitals under the Mental Treatment Acts, and, in respect of this service, he is paid a fee by the local authority. In practice, however, by virtue of agreements entered into by him with the Department of Social Welfare and the Health Authority, he issues certificates to persons insured under the Social Welfare Acts (and is paid separately by the Department of Social Welfare in respect of that service) and to persons availing of his services for maternity and infant care under Sections 16 and 17 of the Health Act, 1953, in connection with their claims for ancillary services, e.g., maternity allowances. In each of these two types of case, his agreements prohibit the acceptance of fees from the patient for the issue of such certificates.
In addition, there is a duty on district medical officers to issue certificates in respect of Section 14 patients in connection with their admission to hospitals other than mental hospitals and their claims for Disabled Persons (Maintenance) Allowances, but such certificates are issued to the Health Authority and not to the patient. In these cases also, district medical officers are not permitted to impose any charge on the patient.