Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know how to respond. The Minister of State's reply indicates that the Minister has known about this issue since July, yet, at the end of September and heading into October, patients are still waiting for over 90 days to be reimbursed money they borrowed. They do not have the money to pay €15,000 for a back operation. That is the cost in the hospital in the North. The individual in question is on a pension rate of pay and his family are supporting him by paying back the credit union loan. Reimbursement was expected within 30 days, but it could now be Christmas before that occurs. The individual is still waiting to be reimbursed for expenditure incurred in June when he had a consultation with the consultant.

A total of 3,886 people are being forced to use the cross-border directive because they cannot have an operation in the South. They may be waiting for over 18 months, two years or two and a half years. It is perverse. The European Union set up the cross-border directive to try to bring people abroad for treatment, involving a stay of one night or more, for which we pay as taxpayers. Spanish taxpayers are paying for public patients receiving private care in England. This issue has to be dealt with immediately. It has been known about since July. Overtime has been provided. The Government has to commit to reimbursement within 30 days for those who borrowed money. That is a very basic point. Extra staff can be brought in quickly and should have been by now. I cannot understand how it has not happened, given that the Department has known about this issue since July and spoken to the section concerned. I would like to see a commitment from the Minister in that regard. It is not good enough to run down the health service and tell people to borrow money they cannot afford if it is not paid back within the timeframe committed to by the HSE and under the cross-border directive.

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