A new hospital in Spain will be dedicated to treating patients on long public waiting lists in Ireland.
Patients will be treated under the EU Cross Border Directive, whereby the HSE covers the price of treatment up to the cost it would be in Ireland. Here are some of the key details of how it will work.
The scheme
The scheme is a statutory one under the EU Cross Border Healthcare Directive.
It began operating here in 2014. That first year, seven patients were treated abroad.
How does it work?
The scheme allows for a public patient in Ireland to access necessary healthcare in the public or private health system of any EU or EEA country.
The patient pays upfront for the treatment and comes back to Ireland and is reimbursed by the HSE. The HSE website has a full list of the reimbursement rates for various procedures. It means patients can see in advance what the reimbursement cost of the procedure will be.
Patients pay for their own travel and accommodation costs.
What happens before going away?
The patient must have a public patient outpatient consultation here before travelling for an inpatient treatment abroad. They must have a properly executed GP referral or a referral from their consultant that they are attending in a public capacity in Ireland.
What are the main countries which patients go to?
The countries where the most number of patients were treated under the scheme are Spain which did 517 treatments last year, Poland which did 376 treatments, Lithuania which did 83 and Germany 67.
What are the main treatments people get?
Many of the treatments are hip replacements, knee replacements, arthroscopies, gynaecology procedures, spinal procedures, orthodontics and cataracts.
How many patients have been treated under the scheme this year?
Just under 600 patients have been approved for treatment this year.
