Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
629. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health what the charges at hospitals will be from the start of 2024 for A&E attendance, outpatient attendance, blood tests/diagnostic tests, inpatient care, and for private beds from the start of 2024. [42418/23]
View answerIf you attend the outpatients department or emergency department (A+E) of a public hospital without being referred by your GP or family doctor, you may be charged a standard fee. There is no charge if you are referred by your GP. You must show the referral letter from your GP when you attend the outpatients department or emergency department (A+E).
Since January 1 2009, this charge is €100.
This charge is not applicable if you are in one of the following groups:
• Medical card holders
• People admitted to hospital after attending the emergency department
• People receiving treatment for prescribed infectious diseases - including coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Children, in respect of the following diseases and disabilities: “mental handicap, mental illness, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, haemophilia and cerebral palsy”
• People who are entitled to hospital services because of EU Regulations
Note that in select cases where people have difficulty paying, the HSE may provide the service free of charge. You should also note that return visits in relation to each episode of care will not be subject to any additional charge.
If you are referred by your GP to outpatients for specialist assessment by a Consultant or his or her team for diagnostic assessments such as x-rays, laboratory tests or physiotherapy, there is no charge if you attend as a public patient.
It is longstanding Government policy that private patients in the public hospital system should pay for the costs of providing acute in-patient services that are provided to them.
The charge for private care in a public hospital covers the costs of providing the service, including accommodation, non-consultant hospital doctors, nursing staff, medicines, blood, medical and surgical supplies, radiology, diagnostics, operating theatres, laboratories, administration and support staff.. Patients opting to be treated privately must also pay the consultant fees associated with their treatment if the treating doctor has private practice rights in a public hospitals.
The private patient charging provision is Section 55 of the Health Act 1970 and the charges are set out in Schedule 4 of that Act (see table below). These charges were introduced with effect from 1 January 2014 and have not been revised in the interim.
|
Hospital Category |
Daily Charge - Single Occupancy Room |
Daily Charge - Multiple Occupancy Room |
Daily Day Case Charge |
|
HSE Regional Hospitals, Voluntary & Joint Board Teaching Hospitals |
€1,000 |
€813 |
€407 |
|
HSE County Hospitals, Voluntary Non-Teaching Hospitals |
€800 |
€659 |
€329 |
