Medical Card Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2017

Wednesday, 20 September 2017

Questions (503)

Eamon Scanlon

Question:

503. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health if he will waive the €80 fee which haemochromatosis patients who do not qualify for a medical card must pay each time they get a venesection; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons are turning away from treatment due to this charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39640/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all people ordinarily resident in the country are entitled, subject to certain charges, to  public in-patient hospital services including consultant services and to public out-patient hospital services. Under the Health (In-Patients Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2008, a person who has been referred to a hospital for an in-patient service, including that provided on a day case basis, will have to pay the statutory daily charge, currently €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 per year. On this basis, where venesection is classed as a day case procedure and is not carried out in an out patient setting, the public in-patient charge applies. There are no plans at present to exclude haemochromatosis patients from this charge.

The following revised reply was received on 15 November 2017

The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all people ordinarily resident in the country are entitled, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services including consultant services and to public out-patient hospital services. Under s52 of the Health Act 1970, as amended by s12 of the Health (Amendment) Act 2013, a person who has been referred to a hospital for an in-patient service, including that provided on a day case basis, will have to pay the statutory daily charge, currently €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 per year. On this basis, where venesection is classed as a day case procedure and is not carried out in an out- patient setting, the public in-patient charge applies. There are no plans at present to exclude hemochromatosis patients from this charge.