Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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311. To ask the Minister for Health if funding is available to assist persons to receive necessary medical treatment that is not available in Ireland or in the United States; if so, the person in his Department of Health who can be contacted regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3812/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE operates a Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS), for persons entitled under EU Regulation 883/04. The TAS is a consultant lead scheme and allows for an Ireland-based public consultant to refer a public patient who is normally resident in Ireland for treatment in the public healthcare system of another EU member state, the UK or Switzerland. Subject to the EU Regulations and Guidelines, the TAS provides for the cost of approved public treatments in another EU/EEA member state, the UK or Switzerland through the issue of form S2 (IE) where the treatment is:

- among the benefits provided for by Irish legislation;

- not available in Ireland;

- not available within the time normally necessary for obtaining it in Ireland, taking account of the patient's current state of health and the probable course of the disease;

- medically necessary and will meet the patient’s needs;

- a proven form of medical treatment and not experimental or test treatment;

- provided in a recognised public hospital or other institution that will accept EU/EEA form S2 (IE) and;

- is under the control of a registered medical practitioner.

The HSE provides further information for patients on the HSE TAS website.

www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/treatment-abroad-scheme/.

Patients are advised to contact the HSE TAS office directly, for advice on making an application for treatment abroad, in advance of traveling abroad. Contact details are available on the HSE TAS website.