Why doesn't the state use private hospitals to reduce the public hospital waiting lists?

[Brendan Burgess]

An excellent article in the Sunday Business Post by Simon Nugent of the Private Hospitals Association.

Why can people on Irish public waiting lists choose to be treated in private hospitals in any EU country – except here?


Under the Cross-border Directive an Irish public patient can be treated, in a private or public hospital, in any other EU country as long as the cost does not exceed the cost of doing the procedure in Ireland.

But the only EU country to which this does not apply is Ireland.

Irish private hospitals could make a significant dent in the waiting list of 570,000.

Brendan

 

[cremeegg]

Because Roisin Shorthall, thinks that it would be a bad idea.

She thinks this because, in her view the state should be increasing the capacity of public hospitals, not giving business to private hospitals.

I am not clear why she thinks that the state should be increasing the capacity of public hospitals, because the public system is dysfunctional. That was her phrase on Sean O Rourke this morning.

Perhaps she thinks that if the state gives the HSE more money it will be less disfunctional, although usually feeding something makes it continue growing it the same way.