Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 24 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 6

Written Answers. - Hospital Charges.

Tomás MacGiolla

Question:

64 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Health if it is intended to implement regulations enabling hospitals to deduct the main part of the income of certain medical card holders who spend more than 30 days in hospital; his views on whether this could lead to the anomalous situation whereby a medical card patient existing on social welfare or very low pay, will lose virtually all their income, while a person earning many times more who is entitled to free hospitalisation will lose nothing; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

Persons in receipt of in-patient services for more than 30 days within a 12 month period may be liable for charges under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations, 1976, as amended by the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations, 1987.

The Deputy will recall that on 30 May 1991 I informed the Dáil that I proposed to have a review carried out of these regulations, because of a number of problems which have emerged in respect of their application.

The Deputy's reference to an anomalous situation appears to suggest that persons who are not medical card holders are not liable for the long-stay charge. This, of course, is not the case. Such persons, unless exempted on the grounds of having dependants, are liable for the charge, the amount of which is related to the person's income after allowing for financial commitments.