Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Dec 2001

Vol. 545 No. 4

Written Answers. - Hospital Charges.

Richard Bruton

Question:

277 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the euro value of the public ward bed charge per night; the maximum payment in a year which will apply in 2002; the euro value of the charge for attending at casualty departments; if patients in private, semi private and day-care beds in a public hospital are required to pay the public ward charge in addition to the euro fees outlined in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 352 of 20 November 2001. [30991/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The public hospital statutory in-patient charge in respect of each day during which a person is maintained is 33.01. The maximum payment in any 12 consecutive months is 330.13. The charge for out-patient services in respect of attendance at accident and emergency or casualty departments where the person concerned has not been referred by a medical practitioner is 31.74. These charges are additional to the private-semi-private accommodation charge in a public hospital.

The following categories of persons are exempt from the statutory in-patient and accident and emergency charges: medical card holders and their dependants; women receiving services in respect of motherhood; children up to the age of six weeks; children suffering from prescribed diseases and disabilities – mental handicap, mental illness, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, haemophilia and cerebral palsy – the exemption applies only to treatment for the prescribed condition; children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school health examinations; persons deemed to be persons with full eligibility by a chief executive officer under section 45(7) of the Health Act, 1970, for the purposes of the services concerned – hardship clause; long-stay patients who are already being charged under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations. In the first year of admission, such patients would have to pay 33.01 for the first ten days, as the charges for in-patient services do not start until after 30 days. However, the 33.01 is not payable in subsequent years if they are still paying under the other regulations; and persons receiving services in respect of prescribed infectious diseases.

However, any patient who elects to be treated privately is liable for the appropriate accommodation charges and consultants fees in addition to the statutory charges.