Vol. 576 No. 1
240 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children, in the context of expenditure of ?30 million for the treatment of 8,074 patients through the national treatment purchase fund, the way in which the cost compares with the treatment of a similar number of patients within this jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29088/03]
To date, the majority of procedures funded by the NTPF have been carried out in private hospitals in Ireland. In relation to the cost of these procedures, the NTPF has informed my Department that it has not released individual procedure prices paid for reasons of commercial sensitivity. However, my Department has been assured by the fund that the prices negotiated by the NTPF compare favourably with the prices charged to private health insurers.
