asked the Minister for Health if he will state in relation to the City and County of Dublin the amount paid under the Health Act, 1953, by the appropriate health authorities for hospitalisation for persons injured in accidents during the 12 months ended 31st May, 1957, or the nearest convenient 12 month period.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Treatment of Accident Cases.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department.
The form of application for services does not disclose the nature of the complaint nor does it indicate that the patients has met with an accident. It is not, therefore, possible to ascertain the amount paid by health authorities to hospitals in respect of services provided for persons who have been injured in accidents.
Would the Minister make representations to local authorities that inquiries should be made as to whether or not treatment is required which arises out of an accident? The Minister has already indicated that this matter is to be kept under review in the Department. I suggest that the information I am saying he should obtain would be valuable in assisting him.
I think the Deputy is making me go further than I intended in the replies which I gave to previous questions of his. The question as to the extent to which health authorities might be empowered to take action to recover in cases of road accidents is under review and under consideration, but, on the more general issue, I do not see how we could proceed without burdening the local authority with an undue amount of clerical work in all the circumstances.
Would the Minister consider making the suggestion confining it to road accidents?
That matter, as I have already indicated, is under review.
asked the Minister for Health whether or not payments made by health authorities for hospitalisation provided for persons under the Health Act, 1953, are made on the basis that such payments will be accepted in full discharge of the account for hospitalisation.
For purposes of clarity in replying to the Deputy's question, it is necessary to consider three separate groups of patients eligible for services under the Health Act, 1953.
When a patient is admitted to a public ward in an approved hospital at the request of a health authority, the payment made by the health authority to the hospital covers the complete liability in respect of all in-patient services including medical, nursing, pharmacy and X-ray, for such patient. The patient is not liable to the hospital or any member of the hospital staff in respect of any charge. In the case of patients from Dublin City and County who make their own arrangements for admission to public wards in Dublin voluntary hospitals, and from Cork City who make their own arrangements for admission to public wards in Cork voluntary hospitals, the health authority concerned deem such patients as having been admitted at their request, and they are included in this category accordingly.
When a patient makes his own arrangements for admission to a public ward in an approved hospital and is not "deemed" to have been admitted to the hospital at the request of the health authority, the hospital is entitled to require such patient to pay to the hospital a sum of 6/- a day and this payment of 6/- a day by the patient, together with the appropriate payment by the health authority, covers the complete liability in respect of all services rendered by the hospital and its staff. The hospital or its staff is not entitled to recover from the patient any sum in excess of the 6/- mentioned.
Where, however, a patient does not enter a public ward but avails of semiprivate or private accommodation in a hospital (or in a nursing home), the health authority pays to the hospital (or home) a contribution—in general 12/- a day—towards the charges and the patient is liable for the excess of the charges of the hospital (or home). including charges for such items as pharmacy, X-rays, etc., over the health authority payment and for any medical fees involved.