A senior Health Service Executive official has expressed surprise more unions have not sought to assist members with access to cross-border medical treatment as it was announced at the PDForra conference in Killarney that that organisation will now be extending its own supports in relation to the scheme.
Under the terms of the cross-border healthcare directive and the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme, Irish residents can seek a wide range of medical treatments across the European Union, EEA and Northern Ireland.
Since 2018 PDForra has offered assistance to its roughly 7,000 members in the Defence Forces in the form of financial and administrative help with availing of the scheme under which patients must get a referral from a GP or consultant in Ireland and pay the costs up front but are then refunded their medical expenses by the HSE.
Under the PDForra Medical Assistance Scheme (PMAS), to which about 3,500 have signed up, members are supported in obtaining a credit union loan for the medical bills, helped with applications and directed to specific care providers, usually the Kingsbridge private hospitals in Belfast and Derry. When payments are refunded the PDForra scheme, which costs €1.50 per week to subscribe to, makes up any shortfall and covers the interest on the loan.
To date, its lead manager Damien Quigley says, about 750 members have been supported with more than 500 surgical procedures provided. The costs involved, he says, can range from a few hundred euro to €20,000 but the intention is that the members are not left out of pocket.
On Tuesday he told delegates at the association’s conference in Killarney the scheme is to be opened up to partners and spouses of members for the same €1.50 per week while a retired members’ group said it is working on a similar scheme.
Mr Quigley said he expected about 1,000 partners and spouses to join in the coming months.
[ Application of EU work directive to Defence Forces welcomed as ‘watershed moment’Opens in new window ]
PDForra has sought to publicise the scheme and Mr Quigley said a small number of public sector unions had been in touch with him about the possibility of replicating it for their members.
A senior HSE manager involved in administering it has expressed surprise, however, that as of now, PDForra is the only organisation supporting members to use it.
“The European Commission has asked about this scheme specifically as an example of particular ingenuity in coming together as an organised group for the benefit of PMAS members,” Catherine Donohoe told the organisation in an interview published at the conference.
“The PMAS scheme continues to be unique. I have not heard of any other scheme similar to it, in Ireland or in any of the other EU or EEA countries. It is surprising that other organisations have not sought to replicate it.”
