The HSE has spent almost €33 million over the past three years sending a small number of Irish people abroad for psychiatric care.
The annual cost per patient has been in the region of €1.26 million, according to data released under FOI.
Yearly spending has also surged in recent years, rising from €4.4 million in 2022 to €12.3 million the following year.
A further €10.6 million was spent by the HSE on psychiatric care abroad in 2024, and €9.98 million last year.
Over the past eleven years, payments to providers of specialised mental health treatment have totalled €45 million.
The figures show, however, that the number of patients sent abroad each year has remained in…