asked the Minister for Health whether local authorities are obliged to give consideration to the circumstances of each individual applicant for a medical card, or whether any general scale is laid down within which medical cards are issued in County Kerry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Cards: Kerry Issues.
44.
No general means scales are prescribed for the purpose of determining eligibility for medical cards. Health authorities are bound to take into consideration all the circumstances of each individual applicant for a medical card. I understand that in certain areas, including Kerry, in order to facilitate the early issue of cards in clearly eligible cases, income scales have been drawn up and cards are issued automatically where the income is within these scales, but where such a scale exists and an applicant, by reference to the scale, is not automatically regarded as eligible for a medical card, the case is fully examined on its merits and the final determination is made in the light of all the relevant circumstances.
Is the Minister not aware of the lack of uniformity in the administration of the Act in regard to the issue of medical cards as between one health authority and another and does he not think some yardstick should be laid down?
The yardstick which is laid down very definitely by the health authority is their capacity to grant medical cards almost ad lib. It is true that there is a lack of uniformity in the proportion in which medical cards are granted as between one health authority and another but the circumstances vary very much. The position in West Kerry is very different from the position in Cork City.
Does the Minister not think that it would be advisable where such scales exist, that they should be published by the health authority and that no endeavour should be made to keep them a complete secret as has been done up to the present?
I do not think there is any great secrecy about them. Most people know whether they come within the scales set up by the local authority in whose administrative area they live and to whom they should apply for a medical card.
But the local authority refused to disclose the scale.
There is no point in publicising it.
At least they would like to know whether they are eligible.
They can always find out by applying.
The local authority refused to disclose the scale.