Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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145. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons with haemochromatosis require several venesections per year and are paying €80 per venesection; his plans to provide free venesections to persons that have haemochromatosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43161/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The €80 charged referred to by the Deputy is the statutory daily charge (up to a maximum of €800) where a person has been referred to a hospital for an in-patient service, including that provided on a day case 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. Medical card holders are exempt from this charge.

Also, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) operates a haemochromatosis clinic in the Stillorgan Blood Donation Clinic and sees approximately 600 patients there annually. The IBTS has also commenced provision of a programme for hereditary haemochromatosis patients in their D'Olier Street, Dublin and St. Finbar's Hospital, Cork clinics. These clinics provide phlebotomy free of charge to patients who have a prescription from their treating clinician.