Vol. 411 No. 6
2 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health the number of beds which have been designated (a) public and (b) private under the new rules for access to public hospitals; and whether he has satisfied himself that public patients are obtaining fair access under the new system.
In introducing the relevant legislation to the Oireachtas in May, I explained that the new eligibility arrangements would be introduced on a phased basis. The first two stages of the process were implemented in June, when the Health (Amendment) Act, 1991 came into effect. First, the income limit for category 2 services were removed, so that all those who wish to avail of public consultant care may now do so. Secondly, all public hospitals were instructed to ensure that the clear identification of the status of every patient, as either the public or private patient of the consultant, was carried out.
The third stage of the process involves the designation of public and private beds and the implementation of the requirement that, except in emergency cases, private patients must be accommodated in designated private beds and public patients in designated public beds. The information on the public or private status of each patient, which is being collected in public hospitals since June, provides a basis for the designation of beds in line with the pattern of usage of the hospital concerned. My Department are working with the health boards and voluntary hospitals on the assessment of their bed designation proposals in the light of the usage data. This work is nearing completion and will be followed by the formal approval of bed designations for each hospital, as required under the Health Services (In-Patient) Regulations, 1991. My Department will be involved in the continuous monitoring of the operation of the new system. I am satisfied that this will ensure that the objective of improving equity of access of public patients will be achieved.
Has the Minister put in extra money to match the widely reported switch from private to public care? Is the Minister aware that several hospitals, for example, the Mater, are now closing down wards which will make access for public patients considerably more difficult in the remaining quarter of the year, even though there are now 15,000 people waiting for elective surgery in Dublin?
I do not have any evidence that there has been an increase in the number of public patients going into the hospitals and that evidence would not be there for the very good reason that before 1 June it was not possible for hospitals to identify the category of patient in a public bed.
