Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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327. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that hospitals are charging excessive amounts to health insurance providers for the venesections of persons with haemochromatosis (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11065/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all people ordinarily resident in Ireland are entitled, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services including consultant services and to public out-patient hospital services. Under Section 52 of the Health Act 1970, as amended by Section 12 of the Health (Amendment) Act 2013, a person who has been referred to a hospital for an in-patient service, including that provided on a day case basis, will have to pay the statutory daily charge, currently €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 per year. 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.

However, on admission to a public hospital, all patients have the option of being treated as a public or private patient. Patients opting to be treated privately choose to pay the consultant and the hospital in respect of the services that each provides. On this basis, where a patient has opted to be a private patient and where venesection is classed as a day case procedure, the following statutory hospital charges under Section 55 apply.

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. It is also noted that patients opting to be treated privately must also pay the consultant fees associated with their treatment.

My Department is currently considering the issue of the application of the public in-patient charge of €80 for venesection in Acute Hospitals as well as broader issues in relation to the treatment of patients with Hereditary Haemochromatosis.