Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2018
431. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 381 of 11 December 2018, the details of the review which the HSE is carrying out; the particular aspects of HSE operations which are under review; the timeframe for completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53239/18]
View answerThe review referred to in the Parliamentary Question No. 381 of 11th December 2018 is an internal review being conducted by the HSE to look at the adequacy of the staffing arrangements in the unit processing applications for reimbursement under the Cross Border Directive (CBD). I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy about the particular details of this internal review.
The HSE have acknowledged that their target of processing CBD reimbursements within 20 working dates has been exceeded due to the continued increase in the number of applications for reimbursement being received since the CBD Office was established in 2014. Reimbursement applications have risen from 164 in 2015 (the first full year of the CBD) to in excess of 3,000 as of November 2018. Nevertheless, the HSE informs me that it remains committed to monitoring and reviewing this situation and providing reimbursement to CBD patients in a timely manner given the resources it has available.
