The HSE says hospitals are obliged to pursue unpaid debts under national regulations, though charges for inpatient and day services were scrapped in April 2023.
Naas General Hospital has spent more than €183,000 on debt collectors over the past decade.
Newly released HSE figures show the hospital paid out between 2013 and 2022 to chase unpaid patient charges, with the highest annual bill reaching over €32,000 in 2022.
While in 2021, the hospital paid out €28,000 chasing unpaid debts.
The HSE says hospitals are obliged to pursue unpaid debts under national regulations, though charges for inpatient and day services were scrapped in April 2023.
Although those charges were scrapped, patients who attend an emergecy department without a referral letter from a GP or a medical card still incur a €100 fee.
The figures were released by the HSE to Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín.
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