Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, who cannot attend today. The Minister responded to several Topical Issue matters, including one on cervical cancer, during the week. I do not know where he is but in any case I will respond and the Deputy may contact the Minister's office to relay her concerns about his absence.

I have done exactly what Deputy O'Loughlin suggested in that I have asked general practitioners in my primary care area to ensure information on travelling abroad for treatment is made available to patients. The majority of them indicated they do this in any case.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The vast majority of EU patients receive healthcare in their home country and prefer to do so for many reasons, such as language differences, culture, family support, distance of travel to other countries and, importantly, familiarity with the medical culture of their home state. However, for Irish patients seeking access to health services in another EU-EEA country, the cross-border directive introduced in 2014 has proved to be an important scheme. The Health Service Executive operates the directive in Ireland and, through the national contact point office, provides information for patients on the directive on its website and by telephone, email and post.

The numbers availing of the directive continue to increase since its introduction. According to the latest information from the HSE, 1,422 applications have been processed under the directive so far this year. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the number of Irish people treated under the directive were 164, 793 and 2,011, respectively. Patients are primarily availing of orthopaedic, ophthalmology and orthodontic services under the scheme, with the majority of these treatments being carried out in Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK.

Noting that the directive states that its implementation should not result in patients being encouraged to receive treatment outside their member state and recognising that any decision to avail of treatment, at home or abroad, is a matter for a patient in consultation with his or her health professional, the HSE has sought to educate health professionals about the directive. Specifically, the HSE has met general practitioner organisations, such as the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, and GP practices as it recognises that general practitioners are on the front line with regard to providing information and referrals to patients on their treatment options, both at home and abroad. Under the directive, general practitioners as well as consultants can refer a patient for overseas treatment.

In addition, the HSE has met and communicated with other professional bodies and organisations, including the Independent Hospital Association of Ireland and various voluntary hospitals and hospital groups, to inform them of how patients can access healthcare under the terms of the directive. The HSE has also held various public meetings on the directive and continues to meet and is available to meet a range of groups regarding the directive.

In summary, the number of people availing of the directive continues to increase, which points to an increased awareness of the directive by both healthcare professionals and the wider general public. In recognition that the decision to seek treatment overseas is one for the patient, in conjunction with his or her health professional, the Health Service Executive plans to continue to engage with healthcare professionals and professional bodies to provide them with information on the operation of the directive.

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