Calls for funding to ensure access for all

FUNDING from the Department of Health will be needed to ensure public patients will be able to receive treatment at the new radiotherapy unit at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.

The Mid-West Hospitals Trust, which is financing the €8 million unit, has agreed to cover the costs of all public patients over an initial period.

However, the Mater Private Hospital, which will run the radiotherapy unit, said yesterday it intended to discuss long-term funding for public patients with the Department of Health.

Junior Health Minister Tim O’Malley said his door would be open to any approaches for such funding.

The Mid-West Hospitals Trust, a registered charity has raised all €8 million to build the unit and it will be operated by the Mater Private Hospital. Construction work commenced on the new unit yesterday and it will be ready for use late next year.

Some €2m was donated from the JP McManus Golf Classic, which brought top golfers such as Tiger Woods to Limerick Golf Club four years ago.

The new unit will cost €1.6m a year to run and will provide treatment for 500 cancer patients a year.

The Mid-West Hospitals Trust said that all patients, public and private, would be treated. The trust will bear the cost of treating public patients, but it expects the State to pick up this cost eventually through the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Chief executive officer of the Mater Private Hospital Mark Moran said he expected to enter talks with the Department of Health on the cost of treating public patients at the new unit.

“Obviously the private patients will be privately insured. We are hoping, ultimately, that the State will pay for the treatment of public patients. The trust has committed itself to pay for these patients when it initially gets up and running,” Mr Moran said.

He said the Mater Private hospital treated thousands of public patients in Dublin through the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) or paid for directly by the Department of Health. “We don’t see any difficulty in principle, but the details and formal agreements have to be concluded,” said Mr Moran.

Mr O’Malley said the question of funding public patients did not arise at present.

“The agreement with the Mater and the trust is that all patients, irrespective of their means will be treated. There are no ongoing discussions about the funding,” Mr O’Malley said.

Asked about the long-term funding of public patients at the new unit, Minister O’Malley said they would “cross that bridge when it comes”.

He said 19,000 public patients had been treated to date under the NTPF.

“Why worry about something down the road. There is a commitment to treat all patients and that’s it. My door has always been open for any cause for the Mid-Western region. I will talk to anybody about any matter relating to any requirement in the medical field here in Limerick,” said Mr O’Malley.