Healthcare travel to Northern Ireland

To avoid long waiting lists in their country, 2,600 Irish residents travelled to Northern Ireland for private healthcare in the space of 18 months over 2021-22.  According to Freedom of Information figures, this cost Ireland’s Health Services Executive (HSE) €9 million.

The Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme was introduced at the start of 2021. It allows Irish residents to get private healthcare in the North and be reimbursed by the HSE.

The most common treatments people get are orthopaedics and eye care. 1,200 people used the scheme in 2021, costing the HSE €4 million, increasing to over 1,400 patients in the first six months of 2022, costing €5 million.

In the same 18-month period, 2,400 travelled to the European Union under a similar scheme, called the Cross Border Directive. This cost the HSE €9.9 million.