Know Your Rights: Your Right to Health

This factsheet is an extract from the publication Know Your Rights: The Rights of Children and Young People published by the Children’s Rights Alliance. It is reproduced here with their kind permission. Know Your Rights is a public information project designed to inform everyone, in plain language, of the rights and entitlements children have in Ireland and where to go when they are not respected.

What right to healthcare do I have in Ireland?

In the case of medical emergencies, anybody in Ireland has the right to attend their local hospital accident and emergency department. There may be a cost for this unless you have been referred by your family doctor (GP) or you hold a medical card.

Some health services are free. These include:

• Maternity and infant care
• Health services for pre-school children
• School health services
• Vaccinations
• Immunisation services

You need your parent’s consent if you are under 16 years of age. For more information see the National Immunisation Office website.

Know Your Rights: Your Right to Health

• Can I consent to medical treatment when I am over the age of 16?
• What support can I get as a young person for a disability?
• What are my rights to mental health treatment as a young person in Ireland?
• When can I consent to have sex in Ireland?
• What supports are there for young pregnant people in Ireland?
• What free healthcare is my child entitled to in Ireland?
• Is my child entitled to have their health and educational needs assessed in Ireland?