Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 December 2004
159 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the cost of a visit to an accident and emergency department without a letter of referral from a general practitioner at 1 June 1997 and 1 June 2002. [31959/04]
View answerThe 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.
160 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the cost of an overnight stay in a public hospital bed at 1 June 1997 and 1 June 2002. [31960/04]
View answer161 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the cost of a private bed in a public hospital for a patient at 1 June 1997 and 1 June 2002. [31961/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together.
The specialty costing system used by the Department of Health and Children as part of its national case mix programme collects costs from specific major acute hospitals nationally. Costs are aggregated and vary between hospitals. Costs relate to all inpatients, both public and private, as the cost collection system does not differentiate between the status of patients being treated.
The average inpatient cost per bed day in 1997 and 2002 were €273 and €543 respectively. These costs do not take account of complexity. Certain costs are excluded from the calculation, including day cases, outpatient services, long stay cases, psychiatry and renal dialysis, capital or depreciation.
