Health hub lets patients access their data online €12.8M IN BENEFITS TO KIDS LIVING ACROSS EU
Third of payments go to Poland.. but overall figure down €800,000
Prof Paul Fearon
A NEW online portal that enables people to access their medical information has been launched.
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services created the initiative and users can look up their data by logging in with a computer, smartphone or tablet.
Your Portal aims to empower people by providing online access to record, share and view their health information.
Prof Paul Fearon, medical director at St Patrick’s, said: “Involving service users in their recovery is crucial to positive clinical outcomes.
“Guided by a strong human rights framework, we are committed, as part of our strategy, to developing infrastructure that will empower service users to be involved in their care and treatment.
“This new portal will transform how service users participate with, and use, our services, facilitating them to take an active role in their journey to recovery.”
Orla Gogarty, director of digital health at St Patrick’s, said the plan was “transformational and empowering”.
MORE than €12.8million in children’s allowance payments were made to youngsters living in a different EU country last year.
Nearly a third went to Poland – paid to 1,567 families covering 2,566 kids – the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection said.
Overall figures dropped by almost €800,000 last year to around €12.8million from €13.6million in 2018.
Payments last year were made to families in other EU countries to 4,281 “entitled persons” relating to 7,637 children, records released under FOI show. While Poland made up the largest proportion, it was followed by youngsters in the UK where 1,018 families received 2,169 payments – 28% of the total.
Another 1,297 monthly payments of €140 were remitted to children in Romania, almost 17% of the total figure. Benefits were also made to 400 youngsters in Lithuania, 214 in Croatia, 206 in Slovakia, and 166 in Spain and a few other states.
Ireland’s €140 deposit is the more generous in the EU and has been queried previously by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.
Separately, the department said 35,874 applications for child benefit were made last year. Of those 3,665 were made under “EU regulation” to a youngster living in another European Union country. From 32,119 applications made for Irish-resident children, 776 were rejected according to the department.
However, of the 3,665 “EU regulation” applications, 625 of them were rejected.
The department said child benefit was paid to all qualifying customers, irrespective of where they lived.
They said citizens in a member state have a right to apply for payment in the country in which they work.
A spokesman added: “Competence is determined by EU regulations and then domestic legislation is checked to ensure the applicant meets the criteria governing a qualifying person and qualifying child.”
€13.6m The amount paid out by the department in 2018 to youngsters