Vol. 465 No. 4
103 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the length of time it is taking the Western Health Board to process applications for renewal of medical cards; the action, if any, he intends to take to ensure that people who are entitled to medical cards are supplied with them on a continuous basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9872/96]
The responsibility for the determination of eligibility for medical cards rests with the chief executive officers of the health boards. I understand the procedure in the Western Health Board is that a review form is sent to the medical card holder at the beginning of the month in which the card falls due for review. The holder has 28 days in which to return the completed review form to the local community welfare officer. The community welfare officer then examines the documentation and may seek further information from the individual. Following receipt of the completed review form together with the recommendations and or observations of the community welfare officer, the chief executive officer then makes a decision to either review or cancel the existing medical card. The length of time this takes depends on the speed with which the card holder completes the review form and supplies any additional information requested by the community welfare officer.
A person's medical card remains valid and may be used until such time as the decision on renewal or cancellation is made. Those individuals who complete and return the form and also are deemed to be eligible are issued with new medical cards while those who fail to complete the review form are notified that their medical card is being cancelled and of the need to reapply.
I should point out to the Deputy that I issued instructions to all health boards in March of last year that review forms should not issue to persons aged 70 years and over. This was done to alleviate undue stress on persons in this age group whose circumstances are unlikely to have changed since their last review.
