Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair, and I thank our three participants for the work they do on an ongoing basis and for their presentations today.

Do our witnesses think it is possible in any reworked scheme that we could do away with this necessity for people having to pay up front and be reimbursed later? Perhaps that is a departmental issue, but from a patient’s perspective, it is a disincentive to some, and particularly for older people, to have to go through the process of borrowing what can be a large amount of money. I am aware that this is in the knowledge they will get the money back, but Ms Donohoe, more than any of our witnesses because she deal with people, will be well aware how cautious elderly people are, especially that cohort form rural areas, which she has spoken about. They live by the premise that they never owe anybody any money and they try to ensure that nobody owes them money. It is a cultural thing and an age-related issue.

However, it is a significant inhibitor because a number of people I have dealt with, notwithstanding the assurances they were given, were reluctant to the point they did not go ahead with it. Quite frankly, they did not want to engage with financial institutions. Some of them have very little interaction with financial institutions. They certainly did not want to be in a position whereby they would have to borrow that kind of money. Is there a methodology we could use or a simplification of the process? I know it would involve engaging with the service provider on the other side but it is normally accepted that if the State will pay for something it should be good enough from the service provider's perspective. I would like the thoughts of the witnesses on this. Perhaps it is for a different forum with regard to how it might get resolved but I would certainly like to hear their views.