In-patient charges abolished from today in public hospitals

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has announced that, with effect from today April 17 public inpatient charges have been abolished in all public hospitals.

The Health (Amendment) Act 2023 removes 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.

Following the enactment of the legislation, the minister signed the Commencement Order providing for the removal of charges from today.

Said Minister Donnelly: “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, announced as part of Budget 2023, is an important step towards reducing the healthcare costs of patients and families.

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