The statutory charge for outpatient services in respect a visit to an accident and emergency department at 1 June 1997 was £12 —€15.24 — and at 1 June 2002 was €31.70. All those ordinarily resident in the State have eligibility for treatment in a public hospital subject, in the case of those with limited eligibility, to the statutory inpatient charge and the statutory outpatient charge in respect of attendance at accident and emergency or casualty departments. The latter charge applies except in circumstances where the person has been referred by a medical practitioner or the person's attendance results in admission as an inpatient.
There are a number of exemptions to the statutory charges, including medical card holders with full eligibility, women receiving services in respect of motherhood, children up to the age of six weeks and children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school health examinations. Also exempt from these charges, in respect of treatment for the particular condition, are: children suffering from prescribed diseases, namely, mental handicap, mental illness, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, haemophilia and cerebral palsy; holders of a Health (Amendment) Act Card: Out-patient (Amendment) Regulations 2003; persons receiving services for the diagnosis or treatment of infectious diseases prescribed under Part IV of the Health Act 1947; and members of the Defence Forces and their dependants.