Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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403. To ask the Minister for Health the reason cancer patients who attend public hospitals for treatment have their intravenous treatment undertaken free of charge whereas patients who are on the same treatment in tablet form must pay the pharmacy for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7703/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are entitled, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services and out-patient pubic hospital services including consultants services. For persons availing of public in-patient services, such as the treatment described, the current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €75 per night, to a maximum of €750 in any twelve consecutive months. Medical card holders are exempt from public hospital charges. In addition, the HSE, under Section 55 of the Health Act, may provide private in-patient services to persons who are not entitled to, or who do not have or have waived eligibility to public in-patient services.

As for those patients receiving treatment by medication outside of hospital care, under the Drugs Payment Scheme, an individual or family in Ireland only has to pay €144 for all their prescribed approved medication each calendar month.