The Government has come in for criticism over the lack of publicity of a new EU cross-border health scheme.

The directive allows public patients to be treated overseas at the expense of the HSE - even if they are not currently on a waiting list here.

According to the Sunday Business Post, the new law enables public patients to access both "public and private" hospitals overseas.

The HSE will foot the bill to allow patients travel to receive care for anything that they would be entitled to within the public health system in Ireland - and they do not need to be on an existing waiting list to apply.

The scheme is part of a European directive, and was fully enacted into law at the end of February.

An office has been set up to help the HSE advise patients and inform them of their rights in relation to the scheme.

The paper reports that patients are reimbursed up to the same costs that would have arisen if they were treated in an Irish public hospital - where the cost of care is considered high by international standards.

Health Editor with the Sunday Business Post, Susan Mitchell, says unlike the Government's push for people to sign up to private health insurance, there has been no information distributed about this scheme: