Vol. 421 No. 9
92 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Health if any assistance is available from his Department for a person (details supplied) in County Cork towards the cost of medical treatment provided within this country and abroad to the deceased husband of this person, as the VHI are not covering the total cost and the applicant is unable to meet the balance from her own means.
Under Article 22 (1) (c) of EC Regulation 2000/83 a person may be authorised by a health board to go to another member state and obtain treatment which is considered to be necessary and which is not available in Ireland. I understand that the person referred to by the Deputy made an application to the Southern Health Board for financial assistance towards the cost of his treatment in a London hospital. However, the board was not in a position to accept liability for the costs involved as the necessary treatment was widely available in this country.
