Cowen: A&E charges won’t hurt children

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen rejected claims children will suffer due to a sixfold increase in A&E charges.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said raising the fee for attending casualty to €100 in the budget had penalised the sick and the poor as he accused the Taoiseach of being out of touch. “The charge for attending an accident and emergency department in a hospital is now almost seven times what it cost in 1997, approximately €15. The charge for an overnight stay in a hospital has been raised to €75, three times what it cost in 1997.

“The threshold for the drug refund scheme has been increased to €100, over four times its cost in 1997. By any standards these are very substantial increases in taxation on illness because the only people eligible to pay these taxes are those who are sick, who need to get into hospital or who need drugs,” said.