No in-patient public hospital charges from today – Burke

From today, people accessing care as a public patient in a public hospital will not be required to pay any charges, a Fine Gael TD has said.

“Today, the Minister for Health signed the statutory instrument to remove the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day, as provided for in the recently enacted Health (Amendment) Act 2023,” Fine Gael spokesperson for Health, Colm Burke TD explained.

“Previously, in-patients would have been liable to pay up to a maximum of €800 in a year (including day-case charges). Budget 2023 saw €23.4 billion invested in our public health system and also provided for the removal of these charges. This was 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 under 16, which was introduced in September last year.

“The past few years have been incredibly challenging for our health service and ensuring everyone has access to a quality, affordable healthcare service is something we in Fine Gael have worked hard to deliver.

“The removal of hospital in-patient charges is a very significant part of providing this service and to supporting families and individuals who are already dealing with significant cost-of-living challenges and from today, they are gone,” Deputy Burke concluded.

ENDS