Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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770. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons that are on Tysabri infusions every six weeks for multiple sclerosis in St. James’s Hospital are now been treated as day patients which results in an €80 charge for each treatment for this lifelong condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35363/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are eligible, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services including consultant services. All persons, irrespective of illness/condition, accessing public in-patient (including day case) services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory in-patient daily charge of €80 up to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months, subject to a number of exemptions, including where a person is a medical cardholder.

The admission of patients to public hospitals is an operational matter and therefore I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this particular matter.