Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 October 2018
221. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) is responsible to pay their outstanding bill from Beaumont Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44004/18]
View answerThe Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are eligible, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services. The current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €80 per day, subject to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months. All persons accessing public in-patient services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory public-inpatient charge, subject to a number of exemptions, including where a person is a medical cardholder
As noted medical card holders are exempt from hospital charges however, the exemption is only valid from the date of issue of the medical card. Therefore patients continue to be liable for any charges which occurred before a medical card has been issued.
