Over 200 Mayo patients treated outside the state over last two years

More than 200 patients from Mayo have accessed medical treatment abroad, funded by the HSE, across 2024 and 2025.

In 2024, 43 patients travelled to other EU/EEA countries for care under the Cross Border Directive (CBD), rising to 55 patients in 2025. Meanwhile, under the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme (NIPHS), 89 patients received treatment in Northern Ireland in 2024, with a further 45 patients doing so in 2025.

The figures were revealed to Castlebar councillor Michael Kilcoyne at a recent HSE Regional Health Forum meeting.

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Commenting on the figures, Cllr Kilcoyne said he believed “the numbers would be higher than that.”

Both the CBD and NIPHS schemes enable patients to access treatments to which they are entitled within Ireland’s public healthcare system.

Under these schemes, patients pay upfront for their treatment and are reimbursed upon their return to Ireland. Reimbursement is at the cost of the healthcare abroad or the cost of the healthcare in Ireland, whichever is lower.