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1 1970

HEALTH ACT, 1970

Chapter II

Hospital In-Patient and Out-Patient Services

In-patient services.

51. —In this Part “in-patient services” means institutional services provided for persons while maintained in a hospital, convalescent home or home for persons suffering from physical or mental disability or in accommodation ancillary thereto.

Provision of in-patient services.

52. —(1) A health board shall make available in-patient services for persons with full eligibility and persons with limited eligibility.

(2) A health board shall make available in-patient services for children not included among the persons referred to in subsection (1) in respect of diseases and disabilities of a permanent or long-term nature prescribed with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

Charges for in-patient services.

53. —(1) Save as provided for under subsection (2) charges shall not be made for in-patient services made available under section 52.

(2) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, make regulations—

(a) providing for the imposition of charges for in-patient services in specified circumstances on persons who are not persons with full eligibility or on specified classes of such persons, and

(b) specifying the amounts of the charges or the limits to the amounts of the charges to be so made.

In-patient services at choice of patient, etc.

54. —A person entitled to avail himself of in-patient services under section 52 or the parent of a child entitled to allow the child to avail himself of such services may, if the person or parent so desires, instead of accepting services made available by the health board, arrange for the like services being provided for the person or the child in any hospital or home approved of by the Minister for the purposes of this section, and where a person or parent so arranges, the health board shall, in accordance with regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, make in respect of the services so provided the prescribed payment.

In-patient services for persons not entitled under section 52.

55. —A health board may make available in-patient services for persons who do not establish entitlement to such services under section 52 and (in private or semi-private accommodation) for persons who establish such entitlement but do not avail themselves of the services under that section and the board shall charge for any services so provided charges approved of or directed by the Minister.

Out-patient services.

56. —(1) For the purposes of this section “out-patient services” means institutional services other than in-patient services provided at, or by persons attached to, a hospital or home and institutional services provided at a laboratory, clinic, health centre or similar premises, but does not include—

(a) the giving of any drug, medicine or other preparation, except where it is administered to the patient direct by a person providing the service or is for psychiatric treatment, or

(b) dental, ophthalmic or aural services.

(2) A health board shall make available out-patient services without charge for persons with full eligibility and for persons with limited eligibility.

(3) A health board shall make available out-patient services without charge for children not included among the persons referred to in subsection (2) in respect of diseases and disabilities of a permanent or long-term nature prescribed with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

(4) A health board shall make available out-patient services without charge for children not included among the persons referred to in subsection (2) in respect of defects noticed at an examination under the service mentioned in section 66.

(5) A health board may make available out-patient services for persons not entitled to such services under subsection (2) to (4) and the board shall charge for any services so provided charges approved of or directed by the Minister.

Provision of ambulances, etc.

57. —(1) A health board may make arrangements for providing ambulances or other means of transport for the conveyance of patients from places in the board's functional area to places in or outside that area or from places outside the functional area to places in that area.

(2) In making arrangements under this section, a health board shall act in accordance with the directions of the Minister.

(3) When a person makes use of an ambulance or other means of transport provided under this section, the chief executive officer of the health board concerned may, at his discretion but subject to any relevant regulations under section 31 of the Health Act, 1947 , direct that—

(a) a charge be made for the use in accordance with regulations made by the board, or

(b) no charge be made therefor.