John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1788. To ask the Minister for Health when he expects the Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 to be commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18300/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As part of Budget 2023, I announced my commitment to abolish all public inpatient hospital charges this year. The Health (Amendment) Act 2023, signed into law by the President on 4 April 2023, removes the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day for people accessing care as a public patient in public hospitals. This measure came into effect from 17 April 2023.

The removal of these charges is an important step towards reducing the healthcare costs of patients and families. This measure builds on the abolition of public in-patient charges for children, which I introduced in September last year, and is another significant step in ensuring that people have access to affordable healthcare services when needed.