The repayment of nursing home charges to the estimated 20,000 people who have been overcharged by the State since the 1970s is likely to start next year, according to Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney.
Ms Harney yesterday said an advertisement had been placed by the Health Service Executive on July 21st, inviting tenders for handling the administration of claims, which could exceed €1 billion.
She was visiting Bantry General Hospital in west Cork where she announced funding for a computerised axial thermography scanner for the 118-bed hospital.
Earlier this year, Ms Harney had said bringing in international experts would greatly assist in the process of reimbursement and would help to speed up the handling of claims and repayments of charges.
"The Health Service Executive is handling the tender process and it's not a matter for me. We are drafting the legislation at the moment and we hope to have it through in the autumn session of the Dáil and the repayments will be made as soon as the legislation is passed."
She added: "It may well be next year before anybody gets the monies that are due to them. I anticipate that it will be next year before the bulk of the repayments will be made."
After meeting staff at the hospital and the Friends of Bantry General Hospital who had fund-raised for the CAT-scanner, Ms Harney said she was impressed with the quality of service and the commitment of staff at the acute services hospital.
"These are the kind of facilities that we want to support. It is important from a patient access perspective given the geography of this region that we have a CAT-scanner which is clearly essential for a properly functioning hospital.
"At the moment, 400 patients a year travel from here to Cork and we want to eliminate the need for people to have to travel for something as basic as a CAT-scan. Hopefully by January of next year, the scanner will be in place."
Under the arrangement, the Department of Health will provide €300,000 of the €500,000 capital costs as well as the €142,000 running costs with the remaining €200,000 of the capital costs coming from the Friends of Bantry General Hospital.
Ms Harney's announcement was welcomed by hospital manager Eleanor O'Donovan, who said it would mean a significant improvement in services for patients as well as making for more efficient use of hospital staff.
"The CAT-scanner is jointly funded by the Department of Health and Children and the Friends of Bantry General Hospital and it will bring a number of benefits to the hospital, including the ability to deal with around 400 patients plus 600 people referred directly.
"It will avoid the necessity of all these 1,000 or so patients from west Cork having to travel to Cork city and it will also reduce the demands on our ambulance service and staff," Ms O'Donovan said.
HSE southern area acting network manager Tom Finn said it would significantly help the development of acute hospital services in the south. "The scanner is an essential tool for investigation for a wide range of illnesses including stroke, head injury, cancers and orthopaedic work and therefore will provide huge benefits to patients," Mr Finn said.