Sligo University Hospital owed over €1.1m by private insurers as payment delays spark anger

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Confirmation that Sligo University Hospital is awaiting payment of over €1.1m from private insurance companies, €744,850 of which is outstanding for more than 12 months, has brought an angry reaction from Cllr Declan Bree who described the delays as “totally unacceptable.”

The information was provided at a meeting of the Regional Health Forum with Cllr Bree posing the question, “What is the amount of money owed by private health insurance companies to Sligo University Hospital and for what period are fees outstanding?”

While these debt figures represent a slight improvement compared to previous years, Cllr Bree has described the length of the delays as entirely unacceptable for both the HSE and local hospital management to permit.

“If the hospital is awaiting payment of over €1.1 million from private health insurance companies, who exactly is meeting this funding gap?” Cllr Bree asked.

“The HSE and local authorities are obliged by law to pay their suppliers within 15 calendar days of receiving a valid invoice to assist with business cash flow. Yet, we are seeing private health insurance companies delay payments for over a year with three-quarters of a million euro outstanding. This double standard is completely unfair to local businesses and the public health system.”

Cllr Bree is urging immediate action to address this issue, demanding that the HSE and hospital administration implement strict, appropriate measures to ensure the prompt collection of fees from private health insurers.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.