Hospitals spend over €3.2m to chase debts

Public hospitals have spent over €3.2m on debt collectors to hunt down failed patient payments in just seven years.

HSE figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show that between Jan 2011 and Aug 2012, the facilities spent €815,860 to reclaim non-paid patient fees.

The level is the equivalent of €1,320 every day and means over €3.2m has been spent since 2005 on chasing lost payments. Between 2005 and Dec 2010, the average daily spend amounted to €1,098.90.