asked the Minister for Health if he will state the cost of payments made by public health authorities for hospital treatment under the Public Assistance Acts and the numbers of persons who received such treatment in each of the years 1948-49, 1949-50 and the estimated figures for 1950-51.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost of Hospital Treatment.
With your permission, a Chinn Chomhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together. As the replies contain a considerable amount of statistical detail, I propose, with your permission, a Chinn Chomhairle, to circulate the information to the Deputy with the Official Report.
No information is available in my Department regarding voluntary hospitals which do not submit returns to the Hospitals Commission.
Dublin voluntary hospitals which submit returns to the Hospitals Commission do so on the basis of calendar years.
The number of patients who received hospital treatment in such hospitals during the years 1948 and 1949 in respect of whom no direct payment was made by the patient himself to the hospital authorities or, on his behalf, by a local authority or otherwise was, during the year 1948, 15,399, and during the year 1949, 15,073.
It should be remembered that Dublin Corporation pays lump sums to the Dublin voluntary hospitals amounting in recent years to over £105,000 per annum towards the cost of treating poor persons resident in the Dublin County Borough. Dublin Corporation, therefore, contributes indirectly to the cost of maintenance of numbers of the patients referred to above.
I presume the information the Deputy requires relates to the cost incurred by public assistance authorities in providing hospital treatment in district institutions under their control and in sending persons for treatment to extern institutions and the numbers of persons who received such treatment. I propose, with your permission, a Chinn Chomhairle, to circulate information to the Deputy on those lines with the Official Report.
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(1) Number of persons who received treatment during the year 1949/50 in County, District and Fever Hospitals under the control of Public Assistance Authorities (including persons who have contributed in whole or in part towards the cost of their maintenance) |
121,329 |
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(2) Number of persons sent by Public Assistance Authorities during the year 1949/50 for treatment in voluntary hospitals, including instructions for mental defectives, etc. |
28,720 |
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(3) Expenditure incurred by Public Assistance Authorities in respect of the year 1949/50 on the maintenance of County, District and Fever Hospitals |
£1,695,664 |
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(4) Expenditure incurred by Public Assistance Authorities for treatment of persons sent to extern institutions in respect of the year 1949/50 |
£284,979 |
NOTES.
(a) Particulars in respect of County Homes are not included above. The majority of persons mainta ned in County Homes are long-stay cases. The number of persons in County Homes on the 31st March, 1950, was 8,585 and the expenditure incurred by Public Assistance Authorities on the maintenance of County Homes in respect of the year 1949/50 was £539,560.
(b) The information set out above is not available in respect of the year 1948/49. It is not anticipated that the figures for 1950/51, when available, will show any considerable variation from the 1949/50 figures.
(c) The foregoing figures take no account of institutions under the control of health authorities and mental hospital authorities.
I gave notice yesterday that I would raise Question No. 54 on the Order Paper.
I am considering Question No. 54. Deputy P. O'Reilly has given notice that he wants to raise Question No. 53.