Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013
212. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health the number of consultants that have remitted private practice fees to hospitals where they work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53415/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra213. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health the amount of money that has been remitted to hospitals from consultants who have exceeded their specified ratio of public to private patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53416/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra214. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health in view of the fact that in 2012, more than 50% of inpatients treated at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital were private patients, while 38% of inpatients treated at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital and 36% of those treated at Mercy University Hospital in Cork were private patients and some 35% of children treated at Crumlin children's hospital had private health insurance, the reason the health service is not pursuing this and recouping the money it is entitled to under the terms of the consultant contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53417/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 212 to 214, inclusive, together.
Implementation of Consultant Contract 2008 is a matter for the HSE in the first instance. The Contract sets out clear rules on the permitted ratios of public-private practice and the measures to ensure that these provisions are complied with. Depending on contract type, a consultant may have no access to private practice (Type A contract holders), a cap of 20% private activity for newly appointed consultants (Type B) or a cap of up to 30% in the case of certain existing consultants. Under the Public Service Agreement, following negotiations at the LRC in September 2012, health service employers and the consultant representative bodies agreed a range of measures to support improved patient care, including a renewed commitment to consultant compliance with the limits on private practice activity. I have asked the HSE to revert directly to the Deputy in relation to the specific issues he has raised.
