Health deal will allow patients seek free medical care in other EU States

PATIENTS will be able to seek free medical care in other EU countries under a new deal being worked out by European health ministers.

The policy, which could come into force as soon as 2004, is aimed at countries like Ireland where patients face long waiting lists for treatment.

The national Treatment Purchase Fund, set up in April, aims to treat 6,805 adults and 1,500 children who have been waiting more than a year for treatment. By the end of the year the fund, which has been allocated a budget of €31m, will have treated 1,900 people.

But the new EU policy could see Irish patients treated across Europe. The scheme would be in addition to the national Treatment Purchase Fund which is struggling to attract patients willing to travel abroad. Just 25 patients have so far been treated in Britain despite the availability of 400 places.

The new policy follows a landmark European Court of Justice ruling last year that patients can go abroad for treatment if their own country cannot provide care “within a time limit which is medically justifiable”.

Patients have had the right to travel to other member States for treatment, if they have prior authorisation to do so, since 1973. However the new scheme aims to improve the mobility of patients throughout Europe.

Steven McMahon of the Irish Patients Association (IPA) welcomed the move. “This has to be welcomed. This is what was at the heart of the ruling of the European Court. We are fortunate here that we have the Treatment Purchase Fund up and running now for several months, but this should improve matters when it comes on stream,” he said.

A spokesman for the EU Commission said the scheme would mean patients with a genuine medical need could not be refused treatment and would be guaranteed to receive it abroad if necessary. “They still have to ask permission from their own health service, but that permission will have to be granted if, on medical grounds, the treatment cannot be given at home in a reasonable period of time,” the spokesperson said.

The Department of Health said last night it agreed with the principles of the scheme, but warned that much work still remained to be done before it could begin. “This is something that is certainly in the early stages, but it is something we would support and agree with. While we agree with the principle there has to be further debate as there are issues still to be worked out,” a spokeswoman said.

EU ministers are due to work out the finer details of the scheme in the coming year before seeking approval from the European Parliament.

One topic to be addressed is whether patients would have to pay for operations up front or whether hospitals could bill national health services directly.

“From an Irish perspective we would urge that the payment be made directly from State to State and that it wouldn’t be an out of pocket expense given that what we are talking about here are generally public patients,” said Mr McMahon.