asked the Minister for Health the total number of persons at present entitled to free medical services under section 14 of the Health Act, 1953, differentiating between (a) holders of medical cards and (b) dependants of such.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Services.
1.
At the latest date for which the information requested is available, namely the 31st December, 1960, there was a total of 800,309 persons entitled to free general medical services under section 14 of the Health Act 1953 made up of (a) 271,247 holders of cards and (b) 529,062 dependants of such holders.
2.
asked the Minister for Health the estimated number of persons entitled to partially free hospital treatment under the Health Acts, differentiating between (a) qualified persons and (b) dependants of such.
The total number of persons eligible for general institutional and specialist services and for mental hospital services is estimated, on the basis of the best information available at present, to be approximately 85 per cent. of the population, or 2,400,000. About 800,000 of these are in the lower income group and the services are free to these. They are free also to such of those in the total of 1,600,000 in the middle income group as health authorities may determine not to be in a position to make any payment out of their own resources. The remainder in the middle income group are eligible for the services at the charges specified in the legislation. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot specify the number of these persons, nor could they readily be subdivided as between dependants and others.
3.
asked the Minister for Health the present annual cost of providing the hospital and specialist services under the Health Acts.
The total cost of hospital and specialist services other than those provided under the Mental Treatment Act is estimated at £8,569,000 in respect of services pro-financial year. This figure includes £2,881,000 in respect of services provided in tuberculosis hospitals, and in hospitals and homes for chronic sick, mental defectives and other handicapped persons.
Can the Minister state the average figure in local rates which that represents?
I think that is a separate question.
Can the Minister say if it is more than 1/6d. in the £?
That would be a separate question.
I shall not assist the Deputy in his misrepresentation of a statement by Deputy Dr. Ryan when he was Minister for Health. I may say that since the Health Act came into complete operation, the increase has been of the order mentioned by Deputy Dr. Ryan.
I only made the cap. The Minister is fitting it on.
4.
asked the Minister for Health the present annual cost of providing the mother and child service under the Health Acts (excluding the cost of maternity cash grants); and what proportion of the cost is attributable to (a) medical card holders and (b) others.
The cost of the domiciliary services provided directly by health authorities for mothers and infants in the current financial year is estimated at £456,000, exclusive of maternity cash grants to persons in the lower income group. The cost to health authorities of services for mothers and infants provided by voluntary maternity hospitals on foot of their agreements with such authorities is estimated at £246,000. Similar services are provided in institutions conducted by health authorities, but it would not be possible to form an estimate of the cost without a special examination of local accounts involving an expenditure of time and money which I feel would not be justified.
Apart from the general difficulty of attributing to a particular class of beneficiary a proportion of the cost of a service available to a large section of the population, there is the added complication in this instance that a woman who received services as the dependant of an insured person might also have been entitled to them as a person in the lower income group. Consequently, it would be impracticable to maintain records or form estimates on a basis which would make it possible to supply the information requested in the last part of the question.
5.
asked the Minister for Health the present annual income to health authorities from charges imposed for hospital treatment, specialist services and X-rays.
The total charges collectable by health authorities in respect of all categories of patients receiving the services referred to in the question is estimated at £583,000 for the current financial year.
6.
asked the Minister for Health in what manner the sum of £1,350,000 for General Medical Services in the Book of Estimates can be broken down under the headings: (a) medical salaries, (b) cost of medicines and (c) other charges.
The item referred to in the question, which represents the estimated total cost of general medical services for the year ending 31st March, 1962, is made up of—
|
Salaries of district medical officers |
£780,000 |
|
Cost of medicines and appliances |
£320,000 |
|
Other charges |
£250,000 |
7.
asked the Minister for Health what proportion of the sum of £1,500,000 in the Book of Estimates for Other Services is attributable to (a) dental, (b) ophthalmic, (c) aural and (d) other services.
The item referred to, which represents estimated total expenditure by health authorities for the year ending 31st March, 1962, is made up as follows:
|
Dental services |
£140,000 |
|
Ophthalmic and aural services |
£50,000 |
|
Other services (including specialist services provided otherwise than by health authority staff, £276,000 and ambulance services, £194,000) |
£1,310,000 |
The costs of the ophthalmic and aural services are not recorded separately in the accounts furnished to my Department. The cost of ophthalmic services, however, forms much the greater part of the expenditure which I have mentioned.
In addition to the foregoing, it is estimated that expenditure by the Department of Social Welfare on dental and ophthalmic services in the year 1961/62 will be as follows:—
|
Dental services |
£290,000 |
|
Optical services |
£40,000 |
8.
asked the Minister for Health the number of general hospital beds available for Health Act patients, and the present daily occupancy.
The figures available relate to 1959 and the number of general hospital beds has been regarded as including maternity, paediatric and orthopaedic beds as well as general medical and surgical beds, but not as including beds in chronic hospitals or in chronic sections of other hospitals or in convalescent homes. On that basis, the total number of general hospital beds available for the treatment of Health Act patients in local authority and voluntary hospitals was 14,700. The average daily occupancy was 12,300.
To the foregoing figures of 14,700 hospital beds must be added an unspecified number of beds in institutions not classified as hospitals, e.g. nursing homes and maternity homes approved for the purposes of Section 25 of the Health Act, 1953.