Written Answers. - Extension of Medical Card Scheme.
Nora Owen
Question:
159
Mrs. Owen
asked the
Minister for Health
if he will consider the requests made by Reach Ireland the association for children with hand or arm deficiency, that all children born with birth deficiencies should get a medical card, that more research be carried out into causes of these defects and that a national register of birth defects be drawn up.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
165
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Health
the proposals, if any, he has to establish contact with Reach Ireland with a view to making available funds for research into the causes of limb deficiency; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 165 together.
Under the 1970 Health Act, medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the Chief Executive Officer of the appropriate health board are unable, without undue hardship, to provided general practitioner services for themselves and their dependants.
Income guidelines are available to assist Chief Executive Officers in the determination of a person's eligibility and these guidelines are revised annually in line with the Consumer Price Index. However, these guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, that person may still be awarded a medical card if the Chief Executive Officer considers that the person's medical needs would justify this.
In view of this special provision I do not think that it is justifiable to extend an automatic entitlement to a medical card to any specific group without any reference to their means or, in the case of children, to their parent's means, particularly in view of the many areas of pressing need in the health services and the limited resources available to meet them.
The Health Research Board is the main mechanism through which State funding is channelled to medical and related research. The board has funded considerable research into birth defects, especially neural tube defects: some of this research is ongoing.
Information on birth defects is available from a number of sources; registers operate in the Eastern Health Board area and in Galway; the birth notification scheme collects information on birth defects which are apparent before a new born baby is discharged from hospital and information would also be available from the hospital in-patient inquiry scheme in respect of babies with birth defects who were subsequently treated in an acute hospital. I consider that it would be more appropriate to consider how existing sources of information on birth defects can be developed rather than developing a separate register.
