Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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439. To ask the Minister for Health if he will abolish the charges for ongoing treatment as inpatients in hospitals on hemochromatosis sufferers, given that the treatment takes less than 25 minutes, the sufferers are not admitted to hospital and, accordingly, they should be treated as outpatients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42741/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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440. To ask the Minister for Health why a person (details supplied) in County Wexford is charged as an inpatient every time the person receives a venesection, despite the procedure taking less than 30 minutes and not requiring a doctor. [42751/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together.

The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all people ordinarily resident in the country are entitled, subject to certain charges, to  public in-patient hospital services including consultant services and to public out-patient hospital services. As provided for by the Health (In-Patient Charges) Regulations (S.I. No. 543 of 2008), the current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €75 per night, subject to a maximum of €750 in any twelve consecutive months.

These Regulations also underpin charges for persons admitted to hospital as a day case, i.e. the public in-patient charge also applies to in-patient day cases. On this basis, where venesection is classed as a day case procedure and is not carried out in an out patient setting, the public in-patient charge applies.