The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) today warned that patients should not borrow money for operations without checking entitlement to free treatment under the scheme.
The warning comes following a report in yesterday's Irish Timesrevealing that credit unions lent €30 million last year to pay for essential medical treatment.
The NTPF says all patients who have been on a public hospital waiting list for more than three months are entitled to free treatment under the fund. A wide range of procedures are covered including those relating to hip and knee replacements, cataracts, varicose veins, hernias, gall bladders, prostate, tonsils, plastic surgery and cardiac surgery.
The NTPF intends making credit unions more aware of the scheme to prevent people borrowing large sums of money for operations.
According to the newspaper report, the reasons given by people seeking loans were to pay for such procedures as heart surgery, hip replacements, knee surgery, eye surgery, MRI scans, X-rays, orthodontic work, consultants' fees, outpatient fees and health insurance.
Patients can check on their entitlements by calling Lo Call Number 1890 720 820. To date the NTPF has treated 30,000 public patients.