‘People will go blind because of €1k cut’: Cork TD raises concern over cataract reimbursement changes 

The organiser of a bus service that brings cataract patients from Cork to Belfast for surgery has said that a €1,000 reduction in the reimbursement will lead to some of them not being able to afford the procedure, and going blind as a result.

Independent Ireland leader and Cork South West TD Michael Collins was speaking to The Echo after the 154th bus left Cork bound for Belfast on Saturday morning. Three passengers had contacted him to cancel their trips and operations because of the reduced reimbursement.

“There were 15 to go on the bus today [Saturday], but because of this cut, two pulled out last night, saying they couldn’t afford it, as they were pensioners,” said Mr Collins.

The bus service has been running since 2017 for patients in Cork and other counties throughout the South-West. While no figures for the waiting list for cataract surgery in the Republic were available last week, figures released by the National Treatment Purchase Figure disclosed that 9,070 adults were awaiting ophthalmology surgery across the State.

The reimbursement has been reduced from €1,950 to €863, and patients have been notified in recent weeks.

“There was a reimbursement there, but the patient always ended up with a shortfall of between €500 and €600,” Mr Collins said. “That was understood, but that reimbursement was cut by the HSE by almost €1,100. That’s an unmerciful blow to patients. I got an email the other day from a patient begging me to find out if this was true and they can’t afford it and they would have to go blind.”

Mr Collins raised the matter in the Dáil last week when putting questions to Taoiseach Simon Harris, and said that the decision could “lead to many of our citizens suffering unnecessarily and going blind”.

“The underhanded manner in which the decision was made, overnight and without any form of consultation or transparency, is a disgrace,” Mr Collins said. “The Government’s decision is nothing short of outrageous.

“Hospitals in southern Ireland are already stretched to the limit and are incapable of providing timely surgeries.”

Mr Harris, said that “nobody wants anyone to lose their sight. There is no political division on that: Everybody wants people to keep their sight and to be able to access cataract treatment.”

The Taoiseach said he had sought an update on the matter and expected to have it “very shortly”.

Queries have been sent to Cork Kerry Community Healthcare about the number of patients awaiting cataract surgery in the Cork-Kerry region and to the HSE regarding the decision to cut the reimbursement for patients seeking surgery in Belfast.