Written Answers Nos. 192-196
192. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Health the reason staff within the environmental health service of the Health Service Executive were not allowed to join the staff incentivised career break scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53236/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter the Deputy's question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
193. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on variations in hospital charges; his views on whether large disparities are unacceptable (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53239/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 55 of the Health Act 1970, as amended by section 6 of the Health (Amendment) Act 1991, provides for the making available by the HSE of private in-patient service and sets out that the HSE shall charge for any services so made available and provided to any such person in accordance with charges approved of or directed by the Minister.
There are currently two charges levied on private in-patients under Section 55 of the Health Act 1970 (as amended): a maintenance charge and a daily charge. The maintenance charge ranges from €586 to €1,046 per day for private patients who are accommodated in a private designated bed. The private in-patient daily charge is €75 and is applicable to all private patients without exception.
The Health (Amendment) Act, 2013 (No. 31 of 2013), signed by the President on 24th July 2013, provides for the introduction of a single private in-patient charge for all private patients, including those accommodated in public beds. The in-patient daily charge will cease and the hospital charge for a private day-case patient will be reduced from a total of €828 to €407 in a Category 1 hospital. The daily charge for a private patient accommodated overnight in a multi-occupancy room in a category 1 hospital will be €813. Currently, the equivalent charges applied to a patient in a semi-private bed are €1,008. These provisions will come into effect from 1st January 2014.
Charges levied by private hospitals are outside the remit of my Department and are a contractual matter between the patient and the treating facility.
194. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a review being carried out on a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53240/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
195. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53253/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
196. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 203 of 27 November 2013, the reason his Department has ignored the suggestions provided (details supplied) at the Joint Committee on Health and Children hearings in May 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53262/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I stated before, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 provides only for existing rights, i.e. within the Constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court judgment in the X case, and it does not confer any new substantive rights to a termination of pregnancy. One of the requirements for a medical procedure to be lawful under the Act in non-emergency circumstances is that, following certification, it must be carried out by an obstetrician on the Specialist Division of the Medical Council Register at an appropriate institution.
The training requirements for qualifying for such registration and the content of training programmes are a matter for the relevant training bodies, subject to approval by the Medical Council. The relevant training bodies may also wish to provide specific guidance for their members in relation to clinical care. As in all good medical practice, appropriate follow up should be offered to a patient following a medical procedure.
