Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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132. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the removal of the venesection inpatient day case charge of €80 for patients with hereditary haemochromatosis; if a decision has been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16872/19]

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.

The issue of the provision of therapeutic phlebotomy services for hereditary haemochromatosis patients, including the issue of charges, is currently under consideration by my Department and the HSE. 

It is agreed that such services should be provided at the lowest level of complexity that is clinically and operationally feasible. In time it is envisaged that the majority of this work will be done in a primary care setting.