On July 1 this promise fell by the wayside when the private hospitals started charging private patients up to €275 for a temperature test and questionnaire and/or a Covid-19 swab test when presenting for diagnostic tests or surgery. When questioned by journalists, the Private Hospitals Association said private hospitals were forced to incur extra costs to meet stringent new public health guidelines including deep cleaning, the use of PPE and testing patients for Covid-19 before they can be treated, and that these costs should, in principle, be absorbed by the health insurers. It is worth noting that patients can avail of a Covid test only if their GP suspects they have the virus. It cannot be used for checking if patients entering private hospitals are free of Covid-19. The new Government should now insist that private hospitals take responsibility for cleaning their own premises and for supplying PPE to their staff, and it should pay the small charge for temperature checking and/or swabs just as it does for public patients in public hospitals.

Source: Irish Independent July 08, 2020 01:30 UTC