Gerry Adams
Question:625. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the supports in place to assist patients who are unable to travel for medical appointments within the State due to a lack of means. [2771/13]
View answerTuesday, 22 January 2013
Questions (625)
Written answers
In general, patients are expected to make their own travel arrangements to and from hospital and OPD appointments, using private or scheduled public transport. The exceptions are for dialysis, cancer (radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and post-operative transplant patients where transport may be provided. In these cases, the patient's appointment or treatment should be directly related to the condition. Transport may also be provided where, in the clinician's view, the patient would be unable to make the journey without clinical assistance or where the patient must be transported on a stretcher.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department of Social Protection administers a scheme which may help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These payments are known as Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs). Enquiries relating to this scheme should be addressed to the Department of Social Protection.