Vol. 474 No. 6
98 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health whether a child (details supplied) in County Donegal will be able to keep her medical card without having to have her entitlement reviewed every year in view of the fact that her circumstances are not changing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3565/97]
99 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the policy in relation to the issuing of medical cards for permanent illnesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3566/97]
Limerick East): I propose taking Questions Nos. 98 and 99 together.
Under the 1970 Health Act, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. Medical cards are issued to persons who in the opinion of the chief executive officer are unable, without undue hardship, to provide general practitioner services for themselves and their dependants.
Income guidelines are drawn up by the chief executive officers to assist 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 or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be issued to individual family members on this basis.
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.
Assessment procedures are also a matter for the chief executive officers. Medical cards, including those issued on hardship grounds, are usually granted to persons for a limited period only as a person's circumstances may change and it is standard procedure for health boards to send renewal forms to all medical card holders. I understand from the North Western Health Board that a medical card was issued, on hardship grounds, to the child concerned for her own personal use and is subject to review in the normal way. I am satisfied, as in this instance, that the health boards give sympathetic consideration to such applications when the circumstances justify it.
