Hospital charges for children have been scrapped today in a major relief to parents struggling to make ends meet.
The €80 inpatient fee was abolished by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, which means families can save up to €800 a year. This move came as part of measures to help reduce the cost of living in Ireland.
While this legislation was given the green light in April, it only came into effect at midnight. A source close to Minister Donnelly told the Irish Mirror: "The abolition of these charges will ease the financial burden of parents and guardians when bringing their child to hospital for in-patient care and help ensure that cost is not a significant consideration when children require access to in-patient treatment.
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“The abolition of these charges will save parents up to €800 per year per child needing inpatient treatment in a public hospital. The charges have been in place for many years but legislation enacted in the summer allows for their removal.”
He added: “The Government is committed to the introduction of GP care without charges to children aged six and seven this year. Negotiations are underway with the IMO to permit the introduction of the service.”
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