Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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206. To ask the Minister for Health if private charges may only be implemented from the date on which the private patient waiver form is signed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32058/17]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Health if all persons should be fully informed of the services they will receive in both the private or public system prior to signing the patient waiver form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32059/17]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Health if all public hospitals are adhering to the terms of Consumer Protection Act 2007 when offering private services to consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32060/17]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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209. To ask the Minister for Health the person that sanctioned the issuance of correspondence threatening debt collectors to persons after demanding that patient waiver forms be signed after discharge from a hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32061/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 to 209, inclusive, together.

The core purpose of the public hospital system is to provide services for public patients. Nonetheless, historically and currently a proportion of activity in public hospitals involves the provision of care to private patients and the income generated in this way is a key component of the funding of the public hospital system. Any curtailment of this funding stream would put further pressure on the Exchequer and the taxpayer in order to maintain service levels.

The Comptroller and Auditor General identified in his 2008 Report that for 50% of private patients no private inpatient charge applied, as they were accommodated in either a designated public bed or non-designated bed. The inability under the law to collect a private inpatient charge in such instances represented a significant loss of income to the public hospital system and to taxpayers and represented an indirect subsidy to private health insurance companies.

The Health (Amendment) Act 2013 was enacted to address the issue identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General and provided for the charging of all private patients in public hospitals, irrespective of the type of accommodation used.

When patients are admitted to hospital they always have the option of being treated as a public patient or opting to be treated as a private patient. Those patients opting to be treated privately have chosen to pay the consultant and the hospital in respect of the services that each provides. The charges applied in respect of private care in a public hospital relate not only to accommodation costs but also costs associated with non-consultant hospital doctors, nursing staff, medicines, blood, medical and surgical supplies, radiology, diagnostics, operating theatres, laboratories, administration and support staff.

The HSE levies the appropriate charge for private patients in public hospitals in accordance with the Health (Amendment) Act 2013. The private patient waiver form to which the Deputy refers has no legal standing in relation to the application of these charges.

The operational procedures for the management of patients' treatment preferences and the collection of private inpatient charges are a matter for the HSE in the first instance and I have asked the Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this regard. The application of these necessary procedures must be sensitive to the health status of patients whilst in hospital and I want to ensure that patients do not experience upset at such a difficult time. MyDepartment is therefore working with the HSE to ensure that the processes in place across the hospital system for implementing the law in this regard are appropriate and that a consistent approach is taken in implementing them.