Hospital charges scrapped after order signed
The Minister for Health has signed an order that will abolish public in-patient charges at all public hospitals from today (17 April).
Up to now, there had been a charge of €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 in a year, for people accessing care as a public patient in all public hospitals.
After the enactment of the Health (Amendment) Act 2023, which was signed into law on 4 April, Minister Stephen Donnelly (pictured) has now signed the commencement order for the removal of charges.
‘Important step’
Minister Donnelly described the change as “an important step towards reducing the healthcare costs of patients and families”.
In-patient charges for children attending public hospitals were abolished last year.