Image via canvaOver 2,600 Irish residents travelled to the North for private healthcare in the space of 18 months.
According to freedom of information figures, this cost the HSE over 9 million euro.
The Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme was introduced at the start of last year.
It allows Irish residents to get private healthcare in the North, and be reimbursed by the HSE.
The most common treatments people get are orthopedics and eye-care.
Just under 1,200 people availed of the scheme last year, costing the HSE just over 4 million euro.
That increased to over 1,400 patients in the first six months of this year, costing almost 5 million euro.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae organises buses to leave Kerry to allow people have cataract surgery in the North, under the scheme.
He says people travel to the North to avoid long waiting lists here and has slammed long waiting lists here, saying 'If you wait to be seen in the republic, the odds are you will go blind".
In the same 18-month period, over 2,400 travelled to the EU under a similar scheme, called the Cross Border Directive.
This cost the HSE nearly 9.9 million euro.
