An accident and emergency (A&E) unit was officially opened yesterday at the private Beacon Hospital in Sandyford, Dublin.
The unit will be open from 8am to 6pm, from Monday to Saturday inclusive, with the exception of public holidays. Patients turning up there will be charged €120 for a consultation.
The hospital has stressed patients will be assessed by an A&E consultant and the unit will deal with many types of emergencies such as patients with chest pain and fractures. However, it will not be able to deal with level-one trauma cases, such as victims of serious road crashes.
The emergency department will see walk-in patients as well as those referred by their GPs.
Apart from the initial consultation fee, patients will have to pay extra if they require X-rays, blood tests or other services.
A spokesman for the hospital said dressings will cost €15, routine blood tests will cost between €30 and €60, X-rays will cost from €100, CT scans €360 and MRI scans €450.
Two private health insurance companies, Vivas and the VHI, cover the cost of the scans.
The unit is the first emergency department in the eastern region attached to an independent or private hospital, giving patients immediate access to all the major specialities, including advanced diagnostic and laboratory services.
The hospital says patients attending will have the opportunity to be immediately referred for surgery if required "with immediate access to hospital beds, should the situation demand".