Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2005
72 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on recent reports that persons are taking out loans from credit unions to pay for medical treatments and surgery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20921/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraArrangements for public hospital services were introduced in June 1991. These determined that everyone in the country, regardless of income is entitled to public hospital and public consultant services subject only to modest statutory charges. Medical card holders are exempt from these charges. Any person can also opt to be the private patient of both the consultant and the hospital. In these circumstances the patient, regardless of whether he or she is a medical card holder, is liable for the costs of such treatment. Neither the Department of Health and Children nor the Health Service Executive is in a position to provide financial assistance in these circumstances. The position regarding consultant fees for privately arranged health care is that the level of fees is a private matter between the consultants concerned and those patients in receipt of their services.
However, the introduction of the national treatment purchase fund has ensured treatment being made available for 30,000 public patients so far who might otherwise have felt they had no option but to arrange for private treatment. I would encourage any public patient who is waiting for elective surgery for more than three months to contact the NTPF first to see if treatment can be arranged before taking out loans that may be difficult to repay in their financial circumstances.
