(Dublin Central) asked the Minister for Health the number of medical card holders in Dublin city on 30th April, 1973.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Cards.
23.
The latest figures available show 57,430 medical card holders in Dublin city.
24.
asked the Minister for Health the number of medical cards granted by the North Western Health Board to Donegal applicants during each of the three months January, February and March, 1973.
During the months of January, February and March, 1973 the North Western Health Board granted 615, 841 and 743 medical cards respectively to Donegal applicants.
Is there any significance to be attached to these figures or any explanation as to why medical cards should appear to be emanating at a higher rate in a particular month rather than in the month either before or immediately after it?
The Deputy could answer that one.
I only suspect these things.
25.
asked the Minister for Health if he will indicate in respect of the year ended 31st March, 1973 (a) the number of applications for medical cards in County Donegal and (b) the number refused.
In the year ending 31st March, 1973 there were 8,492 applications for medical cards in County Donegal. 1,268 of these were refused.
Is over 1,000 out of 8,000 not a very high refusal rate especially for a county like Donegal?
The only thing I can say to the Deputy is that, as he knows and I am sure appreciates, this is a matter entirely for the health board operating in the area. I am not sure if he is a member of it but if I were he I would certainly raise it with the officers of the health board.
I am not a member but surely there are standards laid down by the Department of Health?
There are guidelines.
In view of the number of questions submitted in respect of Donegal recently by myself and others are the Department or the Parliamentary Secretary's office making any inquiries to ensure that the guidelines laid down are adhered to by the North-West Regional Health Board?
The Minister for Health in my presence and hearing said a few weeks' ago that there should be improved guidelines and that operation is going on at the moment.
Does that mean that the guidelines are laid down by the Minister or are they a matter for the particular health board?
The Deputy must know that it is the health board who provide the guidelines.
Are the general guidelines laid down by the health boards?
They are there at the moment.
Are they laid down by the Minister?
No, they are not laid down by the Minister; they are laid down by the health boards.
Are they uniform all over?
My information is that the managers of the health boards have discussed this. They have their own ideas and they have certain guidelines which they believe are fair all round.
Deputy Blaney.
Could they be got?
I have called Deputy Blaney.
I am sorry but I did not get an answer to my question.
The Deputy asked a number of supplementaries and had a number of answers given to him.
Each health authority will give them on request.
Surely this matter of uniformity has been a matter of irritation, to say the least of it, over the years since any such service as medical cards was initiated in the country? At this stage surely it should be possible to remove the anomalies which undoubtedly continue to exist as between one area and another. There is no justification, as I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary will agree, for somebody to be refused a medical card because he happens to be in one area rather than in another where he would get it without any bother. This has been the case not just since the boards came in but even when the different county health authorities were operating it was even more obvious. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary could do something about this?
I could not agree with the Deputy more because when I was in Opposition this was one of the questions which arose regularly. I have been in consultation with the Minister for Health in order to try to regularise this.