Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides for two categories of eligibility for persons ordinarily resident in the country, i.e. full eligibility (medical card holders) and limited eligibility (all others). Adults with full eligibility can access a range of services including GP services, prescribed drugs and medicines, public in-patient hospital services, including consultants’ services, out-patient public hospital services including consultants’ services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances, and maternity and infant care service.

Persons with limited eligibility are eligible for in-patient and outpatient public hospital services including Consultant services, Emergency Department or minor injury care, subject to certain charges. Other services such as allied healthcare professional services may also be made available to persons with limited eligibility.

Where a person opts for private healthcare in Ireland there is no facility for the cost of that care to be reimbursed by the public health system.