Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004
356 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the extra entitlements and assistance that are made available to persons suffering from various forms of cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17205/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraEntitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on residency and means. Any person, regardless of nationality, who is accepted by the health boards as being ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to either full eligibility, category 1 — i.e. medical card holders — or limited eligibility, category 2, for health services. Health boards normally regard a person as ordinarily resident in Ireland if he or she satisfies the health board that it is his or her intention to remain in Ireland for a minimum period of one year.
Persons in category 1 are medical card holders, and they are entitled to a full range of services, including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including consultants services, all out-patient public hospital services, including consultants services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances and a maternity and infant care service.
Persons in category 2, that of non-medical card holders, are entitled, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including consultants' services and out-patient public hospital services, including consultants' services. The current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €45 per night, up to a maximum of €450 in any 12 consecutive months. Attendance at accident and emergency departments is subject to a charge of €45 where the patient does not have a referral note from his or her doctor. That charge applies only to the first visit in any episode of care.
Under the Health Act 1970, the determination of eligibility for health services is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board, and neither I nor my Department have a function in the matter. Alternatively, one can opt to be the private patient of both the consultant and the hospital. Any patient, whether a medical card holder or not, who opts for treatment in a private hospital or as a private patient in a public hospital is liable for the costs relating to such treatment. I would like to add that health boards have discretion, in cases of exceptional need, to provide assistance to individuals where undue hardship would otherwise be caused.
Persons suffering from specified conditions, including acute leukaemia, who are not already medical card holders, may obtain without charge drugs and medicines for the treatment of that condition under the long-term illness scheme. There are no plans at this time to amend the long-term illness scheme to include persons with other forms of cancer.
Since the implementation of the national cancer strategy commenced in 1997, there has been a total cumulative investment of €550 million in the development of appropriate treatment and care services for people with cancer. The benefit of that investment is reflected in the significant increase in staffing and activity which has occurred. For example, the investment has enabled the funding of an additional 91 consultant posts in key areas of cancer care such as medical oncology, radiology, palliative care and general surgeons with a special interest in breast surgery. In addition approximately €90 million has been invested in oncology infrastructure, including specialist equipment in radiation oncology, mammography, radiology and pathology. The recruitment and training of specialist staff and the utilisation of equipment is a matter for individual health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority, or ERHA.
