asked the Minister for Health if he will state in respect of each local authority the percentage of cases in which it charges 1/- and multiples of 1/- up to 10/- per day in respect of the maintenance of patients in hospitals under the Health Act.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Maintenance Charges.
9.
I assume that the question relates to persons receiving institutional services under the provisions of Section 15 of the Health Act, 1953.
The information requested is not normally compiled by health authorities in a form showing charges classified in single shilling brackets, nor is it available in terms of cases as distinct from numbers of days for which patients were charged. I propose, however, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission to circulate with the Report a statement showing in tabular form for each health authority the percentage of days of patients' maintenance for which no charge was made and for which charges in four categories according to amount were made in the year ended 31st March, 1961. The statement is as follows:—
PERCENTAGE of days for which charges at the Rates shown were made in the year ended 31st March, 1961
|
Health Authority |
No charge |
At 3/- or less |
Over 3/- and not greater than 5/- |
Over 5/- and under 10/- |
At 10/- |
|
Carlow |
89.5 |
0.4 |
1.2 |
1.9 |
7.0 |
|
Cavan |
71.5 |
12.8 |
1.3 |
2.8 |
11.6 |
|
Clare |
89.1 |
0.5 |
5.6 |
0.8 |
4.0 |
|
Cork |
74.4 |
8.1 |
5.6 |
6.5 |
5.4 |
|
Donegal |
68.7 |
8.8 |
8.9 |
5.4 |
8.2 |
|
Dublin |
55.3 |
12.2 |
10.9 |
7.5 |
14.1 |
|
Galway |
91.0 |
0.3 |
1.4 |
3.7 |
3.6 |
|
Kerry |
90.7 |
3.9 |
1.3 |
2.0 |
2.1 |
|
Kildare |
85.9 |
0.5 |
2.0 |
0.6 |
11.0 |
|
Kilkenny |
92.6 |
0.7 |
2.5 |
1.7 |
2.5 |
|
Laoighis |
80.2 |
1.5 |
0.8 |
3.2 |
14.3 |
|
Leitrim |
81.4 |
4.7 |
6.2 |
6.0 |
1.7 |
|
Limerick |
86.1 |
6.3 |
0.1 |
1.6 |
5.9 |
|
Longford |
55.8 |
38.7 |
1.5 |
2.7 |
1.3 |
|
Louth |
92.5 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
5.9 |
|
Mayo |
93.6 |
0.6 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
3.2 |
|
Meath |
94.8 |
1.3 |
1.1 |
1.3 |
1.5 |
|
Monaghan |
83.7 |
0.8 |
3.6 |
4.4 |
7.5 |
|
Offaly |
65.1 |
6.0 |
3.1 |
2.0 |
23.8 |
|
Roscommon |
78.1 |
9.1 |
3.3 |
5.4 |
4.1 |
|
Sligo |
86.0 |
5.2 |
3.5 |
2.2 |
3.1 |
|
Tipperary (N.R.) |
62.1 |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Tipperary (S.R.) |
90.4 |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Waterford |
61.4 |
32.2 |
0.8 |
2.3 |
3.3 |
|
Westmeath |
85.6 |
2.9 |
2.3 |
4.2 |
5.0 |
|
Wexford |
78.0 |
0.5 |
3.4 |
5.3 |
12.8 |
|
Wicklow |
95.6 |
— |
0.1 |
0.2 |
4.1 |
*The information available in regard to these health authorities does not enable the numbers of bed-days to be classified according to the rates of charge.
Charges in respect of services provided in institutions accommodating mentally retarded patients and deaf and dumb, are not included in the above, as they are not recorded by health authorities in a manner which would permit their classification according to daily rates of charge. It is, however, clear that far the greater part of these services is provided free of charge to the recipients as the average amount collected by health authorities per patient works out at the very low figure of less than fourpence per day.