Vol. 408 No. 1
38 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his views on the proposal expressed by the Commission on Health Funding that public hospital care should be available free or for nominal charges for all the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
55 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health the number of extra persons who will be entitled to free hospitalisation and treatment as a result of his recent announcement.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 55 together.
There will be no extra persons entitled to free hospitalisation, since this entitlement is already available to the entire population. However the revision of eligibility for public hospital services from 1 June next, as announced in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, will result in the availability to the entire population of consultant services also, subject only to the modest statutory charges. Fifteen per cent of the population are at present required to pay hospital consultants' fees; this requirement will be removed from 1 June next where the persons concerned opt to be public patients. Where a patient opts to be a private patient of a consultant he will, of course, continue to be liable for professional fees.
