HSE under fire for hiring debt collection agencies

University Hospital Galway spent more than €60,000 on debt collection agencies last year to pursue patients who owe money.

The spending has been branded “outrageous” by Sinn Féin in Galway, who said that many people are not in a position to pay hospital bills.

Figures released by the HSE show that the Garwyn Group was paid €54,373 for debt collection services relating to UHG in 2018, while another company, Intrum Justitia Ireland Ltd, was paid €9,211.

Nationally, the HSE spent more than 574,000 last year on debt collection.

Galway West General Election candidate for Sinn Féin, Mairéad Farrell said: “The threatening use of debt collection agencies by University Hospital Galway to chase down late payments or bills of patients who cannot afford to pay is outrageous.

“It is an incredibly regressive measure. I was genuinely shocked to hear the amount of money spent in this manner in Galway and across Ireland.

“Figures obtained by the Irish Sun have shown that UHG spent a staggering €63,584 on debt collection agencies in 2018, the second highest figure for any hospital in the state.

“In total €574,207 was paid to these companies by a range of hospitals last year.

“I don’t believe that our hospitals should be engaged in the use of private debt collection agencies to harass and threaten patients, many of whom are not in a position to pay these bills.

“While some people deliberately dodge paying these charges, the majority of people who don’t pay them can’t pay them, and I know from my experience that many are elderly people.

“For the hospital to sell the debts to a private debt collection agency who hound and threaten patients with court action if they don’t pay up is really not on.

“These are paltry sums of money, and while I believe that these charges should be abolished, until they are abolished, hospitals need to adopt a more compassionate and fair way to recover these charges.

“These are sick people or people recovering from illness and they must be treated accordingly,” said the former city councillor.