asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the medical costs involved in the caring for mentally handicapped children, he will consider allowing them free medical service regardless of family income.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mentally Handicapped Children.
63.
Health services for the mentally handicapped are provided as part of the general health services and are dealt with under the general legislation in connection with the health services.
The services are provided free of charge for persons in the lower income group and their dependants and for pupils of national schools, where the defect is discovered at school health examinations. Apart from the school children mentioned, as regards persons in the middle income group and their dependants, institutional services may be provided free or at a charge not exceeding 10/- a day and, as regards persons outside the lower and middle income groups, if in the opinion of the health authority, they would be unable without undue hardship, to provide the institutional services needed for themselves or their dependants, they also may be given these services free or subject to a charge.
I understand that where there is provision for a charge health authorities in determining the amount of the charge, or whether to impose any, take into account the long-term nature of the service which has to be provided for most mentally-handicapped persons. All but six per cent of patients in the special institutions are health authority patients and the amount of revenue collected by health authorities in respect of patients for whom they accept liability is very small. It amounted to an average of slightly less than 7d per day per patient in a recent year.