Abolition of public hospital inpatient charges a step closer as Minister Donnelly receives government approval to publish the Health (Amendment) Bill 2023

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today (Tuesday 7 March) received government approval to publish the Health (Amendment) Bill 2023, which provides for the abolition of public in-patient charges in all public hospitals.

The Bill, when enacted, will remove the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 in a year (including day-case charges), for people accessing care as a public patient in all public hospitals.

Announcing the government decision to approve publication of this legislation, Minister Donnelly said:

"I am delighted to announce that today I have received government approval to publish this important Bill.

"This legislation, when enacted, will remove for everybody the existing financial burden of public in-patient charges when accessing care in a public hospital. I intend to bring this legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a priority in the coming weeks.

"This measure builds on the abolition of public in-patient charges for children, which I introduced last year, and is another significant step in ensuring that people have access to affordable healthcare services."

The Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 will be published in the coming days.

Notes

All persons ordinarily resident in Ireland are eligible for public hospital services and, as public patients, are subject to a statutory public in-patient charge of €80 per night. Medical card holders and certain cohorts of persons are exempt from these charges. Primary legislation is needed to set out the legislative amendments required to the Health Act 1970 to abolish the public in-patient charge.

Funding was provided in Budget 2023 to abolish the acute public in-patient charge for patients in public hospitals. The Minister for Health intends to publish the final text of the Bill shortly and to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a priority in the coming weeks.

The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Act 2022, enacted last year, removes the acute public in-patient charge of €80 per day (including day-case charges) for children under 16 years of age in all public hospitals. This measure came into effect from 21 September 2022.