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Public Healthcare
In January 2005, the Health Service Executive was set up to provide healthcare and social services in the Republic of Ireland.
So anyone living here permanently is entitled to receive healthcare under the public system. This system is means tested, so the amount you are asked to pay will depend on how much you earn. Generally, if you are unemployed or on a low income, over 70 years of age, or suffering from specific disabilities or illnesses, you will automatically qualify for a Medical Card. Some students in full-time education also qualify. Medical Cards give you access to free hospital treatment in public hospitals and free consultations with your family doctor. Usually, spouses and children of medical card-holders are also entitled to free public healthcare.
Your Medical Card will also cover you for free dental, aural, and optical treatment; most medical appliances and supplies, and medicines prescribed by your family doctor. And you must choose your doctor from a list of general practitioners (GPs) who operate under the medical card scheme – the only restriction is that you should not live more than seven miles away from your GPs surgery.
The public healthcare system is sometimes criticised for having long waiting lists for treatment, although this varies from service to service. The GP service, for example, has almost no waiting list. In 2007, over 30% of patients were seen by their doctor without an appointment, 38% received a same-day appointment, 28% received an appointment the following day and less than 5% had to wait two days or more to see a doctor.
Approximately 30% of Irish residents qualify for a Medical Card. If you do not qualify, you will be asked to pay for certain healthcare services in the public system – although emergency treatment, maternity services and infant healthcare is free of charge. A stay in hospital will cost you €66 a day but you will never be charged more than €660 in any year for a hospital bed. You may also be charged the daily rate of €66 on a once-off basis for an out-patient hospital visit or a non-emergency trip to the casualty department if you haven’t been referred by your GP .
X-Rays, lab tests, physiotherapy and other treatments are provided free as long as they have been prescribed by a doctor.
Visits to GPs are not free if you don’t have a Medical Card and charges may vary from doctor to doctor. If you are on a low income but not low enough to qualify for a Medical Card, you may be entitled to a GP Visit Card. This will allow you to consult your GP free of charge. People with certain medical conditions who are obliged to visit their GPs often may also be eligible for a GP Visit Card, even if they are not on particularly low incomes.
The emergency services are free of charge to everyone. In an emergency, you should dial 112 or 999 and ask for the ambulance service. If it really is an emergency, you won’t be charged.