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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Jun 1996

Vol. 466 No. 4

Written Answers. - Children's Health Care.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Question:

121 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health if he intends to respond to the request at the Irish College of General Practitioners' Conference for free health care to be provided in respect of all children up to the age of five years; whether he has estimated the cost of such cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11749/96]

Limerick East): All children qualify for a comprehensive range of public health services free of charge including: pre-school public health nursing service, health examination service, including vision and hearing screening for pre-school children and national school pupils, all necessary follow-up services for defects discovered at these examinations, dental, ophthalmic and aural treatment and appliances for defects discovered at these examinations and, preventative dental treatment for children up to their fourteenth birthday, as well as out-patient public hospital services. They also qualify for all in-patient public hospital services and accident and emergency attendances subject to modest statutory charges. Children receiving treatment for mental handicap, mental illness, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, haemophilia and cerebral palsy are exempt from these charges as are children up to six weeks of age and those referred from child health clinics and school health examinations.

Children of medical card holders are of course entitled to the full range of public health services free of charge. Determination of full (medical card) eligibility for health services is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. It is open to all persons to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board for health services if they are unable to provide these services for themselves or their dependants without hardship. I am satisfied that health boards give sympathetic consideration to such applications when the circumstances warrant it.

I have no cost estimates or plans for the provision of further health services free of charge for this age group.

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