asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that temporary medical cards are in many cases being rejected at dispensaries; and if this matter can be rectified.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Card Holders.
49.
I presume the Deputy's question relates to services in the Dublin area. As the Dublin Health Authority does not issue temporary medical cards, I take it the Deputy is referring to directions issued by authorised persons under Article 16 of the General Medical Services Regulations, 1954. These require the appropriate district medical officer to give to the person concerned, or his dependants, a general practitioner service. I am not aware of any case where a district medical officer has failed to provide this service.
Is the Minister aware that I wrote to him six months ago complaining that there were numbers of cases in which people who were given temporary medical cards were refused attention in dispensaries? Is he aware of the fact that I had a reply from the Minister himself saying he was looking into the matter?
The Deputy did bring two cases to my attention. I am having them investigated but the investigations are not fully completed yet. The information I have does not bear out the Deputy's suggestion that patients were refused medical attention.
The information the Minister gave was to the effect that there were no complaints.
We cannot have a debate on this. Does the House agree to take the remaining Questions now?
Agreed.
Is the Minister aware that there have been a number of instances in the city of Dublin in which persons with authorisations, commonly known as medical cards, were refused attention by the staff, who seemed unacquainted with the regulations? In the light of that would the Minister take whatever steps are open to him to impress on such staff that these authorisations have the validity of medical cards pending examination of the particular person's case by the health authority concerned?
Yes. I think that is reasonable.
50.
asked the Minister for Health the average length of time it takes for an application for a medical card to be considered.
It is impossible to give a precise reply, valid for all parts of the country, to the Deputy's question. Inquiries made in a number of health authority areas suggest that, where a person is prompt in furnishing the necessary information, it may take about three weeks from the time a completed application form is received to consider and approve the application. Final approval has however often to be deferred pending the submission by the applicant of verification of a particular item, for example, weekly income.
Did the Minister say three weeks?
That is for the country as a whole, but the situation in the area with which Deputy O'Connell deals would not be that.
What length of time would it be there?
We were given an average of a month.
It is longer in Dublin.
It is, yes.
It is three to four months at least.
I think this will have a beneficial effect in making arrangements.
51.
asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the fact that pending renewal of a medical card many card holders are deprived of the free health service; and if arrangements can be made to rectify this matter.
I am not aware that the position is as stated by the Deputy.
Inquiries which I have made from a number of health authorities indicate that a medical card is generally not withdrawn until a decision has been made on its renewal.
In one particular area, the medical card expires automatically on a certain date, but there is a generous period of grace, during which the holder can obtain free health services pending a decision on renewal of the card.
Is the Minister aware that there is on a medical card a statement to the effect that it must be returned for reconsideration?
Yes.
And, when it is returned in compliance with this regulation, is the Minister aware of the fact that the individual concerned is without a medical card?
My information is that, even though the cards are withdrawn for a four to six weeks period, holders are still allowed to have the benefit of the cards.
They have no medical cards to show because they have been returned in compliance with the regulation and they are refused treatment.
They are deemed to be medical card holders until the local authority decides to withdraw the cards and there must be written notification.
Yes. I think Deputy Dr. O'Connell's complaints relate to Dublin.
Is it not the simple truth that all these complaints are well justified—so every Dublin representative believe—and will continue until we do away with the despicable Victorian medical services we have at the present time?
Deputies
Hear, hear.
And the sooner we do that the better.
Quite so, and have a free medical service.
As proposed by Fine Gael seven years ago.
As they have in Britain.
52.
asked the Minister for Health if he will instruct health authorities to issue medical cards to old age pensioners as a matter of course without subjecting them to prolonged investigations of their circumstances.
It is the practice of health authorities to issue medical cards automatically on application and without detailed investigation of means, to persons in receipt of a non-contributory old age pension.
Persons in receipt of contributory old age pensions, which are paid without regard to means, must have their financial circumstances investigated in the normal manner.
53.
asked the Minister for Health the number of medical card holders in Dublin city.
The number of general medical services cards issued by Dublin Health Authority to persons living in Dublin County Borough was 44,678 on 30th September, 1968.
The number of persons, including dependants, covered by these cards was 116,264.
Has the Minister the percentage readily available?
It is 20.4 per cent.
For Dublin city?
Yes.