#19 - Ireland
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(We promised you a review of the top 20 healthcare systems in the world and a little about them on this blog. We’ve been busy, and haven’t posted as quickly as we’d like…but here in the blogosphere, it is tough to keep up!)
Ireland is the 19th best healthcare system in the world, according to the World Health Organization. If one is a resident of Ireland, she qualifies for the national healthcare system, which is regulated by a department within the Irish government (The Department of Health and Children).
The Dept. of Health and Children allocates funds to the Health Service Executive (HSE). HSEs oversee areas and the HSEs provide resources to each area annually. The Dept. of Health and Children also has an administrative branch headed by the Minister of Health. There are separate sections under this Dept., and include: primary care, mental health, acute hospital, cancer, associated services, office of older people, finance, and personnel mgmt and development (nursing). There is also an eligibility and patient safety office, and child care.
There are 4 HSE districts–north, south, east, and west. If a patient doesn’t like her care, she can work through a formal complaints process.
General healthcare providers provide services at no charge with patients showing medical cards or GP visit cards. Some doctors only treat private payers. There are only 1650 general practitioners in the country, or one doctor per 680 people (similar to the ratio in the UK).
In 1991, the Health Amendment Act was passed in Ireland, and it introduced the concept of ordinary residence, which again is the minimum requirement for healthcare benefit eligibility in the country, and generally means that individual is going to stay in the country for a minimum of one year. There are only 2 private health insurers in Ireland - VHI and BUPA. Both rates are calculated on the basis of a ‘community rating’ or general rating where everyone pays the same amount, and premiums do not increase with age, but you must be under age 65 to join either private pay insurance plans. Both are not for profits.
Pharmacies tend to be called “Chemists” in Ireland. They do not have 24 hour pharmacies in Ireland. OTC drugs are paid for by patients, and prescription drugs are no charge for cardholders in Ireland. Ther eis a Drugs Payment Scheme in Ireland, that limits any one family member to spend 85 euros per calendar year out of pocket for meds. In order to be on the Drugs Payment Scheme, however, patients must go to only ONE pharmacy and must register at the health board or pharmacy itself for the plan.
While these summaries are overly simplistic, we will continue to bring them to you in hopes to understand how other countries who ranked higher on the WHO list operate, at least at a 50,000 foot view.
References:
1. Citizens Information: Public Service Information provided by the Citizens Information Board. http://www.citizensinformation.ie. Last updated 4/8/2008. Accessed 8/10/08.
2. Ireland. www.justlanded.com. Excerpt from Living and Working in Ireland by Joe Laredo. Survival Books, Ltd: May 25, 2001.
3. Department of Health and Children. 2008. http://www.dohc.ie. Last updated 2008. Accessed 8/10/08.
Posted on: Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 8:26 pm 
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