Public in-patient hospital fees have been scrapped.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the fees will be scrapped from today, April 17th. The Health Amendment Act 2023 removes the in-patient €80 charge, up to a maximum of €800 in a year. The fees have been abolished in all public hospitals. Minister Donnelly stated: "I am delighted to announce that from today, people will no longer be charged when accessing public inpatient care in our public hospitals. “This legislation removes the existing financial burden of public inpatient charges when accessing care in a public hospital. The removal of these charges was announced as part of Budget 2023. "This 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 last year. Donnelly added, "This is another significant step in ensuring that people have access to affordable healthcare services." Those with medical cards were already exempt from these charges. Hospital in-patient fees were also scrapped in children's hospitals in 2022.

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