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Doubts about the State’s strategy regarding nursing care fees.
Amhras faoi straitéis an Stáit maidir le táillí cúraim altranais.
The Government has confirmed that it is a legal strategy for the State to oppose applications for compensation from people who have been charged nursing care fees after having medical cards.
Tá sé deimhnithe ag an Rialtas go bhfuil sé mar straitéis dlíthiúil ag an Stát cur in aghaidh iarratais ar chúiteamh ó dhaoine ar gearradh táillí cúraim altranais orthu tar éis go raibh cártaí leighis acu.
A Government spokesperson revealed last night that the strategy had been in place since sometime before July 2011.
Thug urlabhraí ón Rialtas le fios aréir go raibh an straitéis i bhfeidhm ó uair éigin roimh Iúil 2011.
However, it seems to have been in place long before that.
Is cosúil, áfach, go raibh sé i bhfeidhm i bhfad roimhe sin.
A whistleblower gave the story to the Mail on Sunday and it was published in that newspaper yesterday.
Thug sceithire an scéal don Mail on Sunday agus foilsíodh é ar an nuachtán sin arú inné.
According to the report, people with medical cards had been paying nursing care fees for thirty years before it was discovered in 2005 that they were entitled to that care for free Over a thousand patients made an official complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office when the story came to light.
De réir na tuairisce, bhí daoine a raibh cártaí leighis acu ag íoc táillí cúraim altranais ar feadh tríocha bliain sula bhfuarthas amach in 2005 go raibh siad i dteideal an cúram sin a fháil saor in aisce Rinne os cionn míle othar gearán oifigiúil le hOifig an Ombudsman nuair a tháinig an scéal chun solais.
The spokesperson from the Government said that the cases that the State brought against them, that they related to private nursing homes and that a settlement was made in some of those cases.
Dúirt an t-urlabhraí ón Rialtas gur bhain na cásanna ar chuir an Stát ina n-aghaidh, gur bhain siad le tithe altranais príobháideacha agus go ndearnadh socrú i gcuid de na cásanna sin.
In relation to public nursing homes, €480 million was paid back to patients or their relatives but none of the cases went as far as the court, said the spokesperson.
I dtaca le tithe altranais poiblí de, íocadh ar ais €480 milliún le hothair nó lena ndaoine muinteartha ach ní dheachaigh aon cheann de na cásanna chomh fada leis an gcúirt, a dúirt an t-urlabhraí.
It was also revealed that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is seeking legal advice on the matter from the Attorney General.
Tugadh le fios chomh maith go bhfuil comhairle dlí faoin scéal á lorg ag an Aire Sláinte Stephen Donnelly ar an Ard-Aighne.
Social Democrat co-leader Róisín Shortall was Minister of State in the Department of Health in 2011 and she said today that she did not know there was a policy to keep compensation refunds given to people confidential.
Bhí comhcheannaire na nDaonlathaithe Sóisialta Róisín Shortall ina hAire Stáit sa Roinn Sláinte in 2011 agus dúirt sí inniu nach raibh a fhios aicise go raibh polasaí ann aisíocaíochtaí cúitimh a tugadh do dhaoine a choinneáil faoi rún.
Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed that he had nothing to do with devising a legal strategy to counter claims for compensation from wrongfully charged people.
Inné, thug an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar le fios nach raibh aon bhaint aigesean le straitéis dlíthiúil a chumadh le cur in aghaidh iarratais ar chúiteamh ó dhaoine ar gearradh táillí orthu san éagóir.
Sinn Féin and the Labor Party are demanding that any new documents relating to the matter be sent to the joint Oireachtas committee without delay.
Tá Sinn Féin agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre ag éileamh aon cháipéisí nua maidir leis an scéal a sheoladh chuig comhchoiste Oireachtais gan mhoill.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs
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