VHI to pay bills at €60m sports clinic

VHI members who attend Dublin’s new €60 million private sports clinic will have their bills picked up by the health insurer, it was announced yesterday.

The recently opened state-of-the-art Sports Surgery Clinic at Santry Demesne is one of Europe’s first dedicated facilities for the treatment of sports and exercise injuries and conditions.

VHI Healthcare will provide “comprehensive cover” for its members attending the sports surgery, orthopaedic and sports medicine facility, according to a statement by the clinic.

The clinic said its specialist treatment was available to everybody with an interest in sporting activities, from leading amateur and professional sports people to people who enjoy sporting action as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Clinic medical director Ray Moran said: “The clinic offers a full range of health and fitness screening, rapid access for acute injury management and treatment, sports rehab, injury prevention and recovery in a purpose-built centre.”

At present VHI covers all in-patient surgical procedures at the clinic.

Cover for treatments is available to VHI members with Plans B to E, B-E Options and LifeStage Choices plans.

It is understood negotiations are continuing with regard to providing cover for outpatient treatments.

The VHI is the first private health insurer in Ireland to reach agreement with the Sports Surgery Clinic.

The new clinic is anxious to stress its promotion of the “wellness” concept — as opposed to the standard medical practice of executive health screening, which primarily looks for disease.

Sports and exercise experts are eager to point to the economic payback for a country by having people remain healthy and well.

Cleveland Medical Clinic, which is ranked among America’s top hospitals, has said if the fitness level of a population was increased by one metabolic unit people would live 18% longer.

They would also delay hospital treatment and cut insurance spending by 18%.

A professional rugby player would have a metabolic fitness level of 19, the average housewife eight, while a cardiac patient might be five or six.

Research shows that people who take regular exercise live longer and are healthier.