Vol. 477 No. 5
114 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Health if he will consider including cancer on the official list of long-term illnesses; his views on whether cancer is such an illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9783/97]
, Limerick East): The long-term illness scheme entitles persons to free drugs and medicines which are prescribed in respect of a specific schedule of illnesses. The long-term illness scheme has not been extended since 1975 and there are no plans to change the scheme or to expand the number of illnesses covered by the scheme, having regard to the fact that the needs of individuals with significant or ongoing medical expenses are now met by a range of other schemes which provide assistance towards the cost of prescribed drugs and medicines.
Where an individual or a family is subjected to a significant level of ongoing expenditure on medical expenses, such as general practitioner fees or prescribed drugs due to a long-term medical condition such as cancer, these expenses may be reckoned in determining eligibility for a medical card. In some cases a medical card may issue to a family member on a personal basis. Eligibility for a medical card is solely a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board to decide.
Persons who suffer from an ongoing medical condition can avail of the drug cost subsidisation scheme which caters for people who do not have a medical card or a long-term illness book and are certified as having a medical condition with a regular and ongoing requirement for prescribed drugs and medicines. Persons who qualify for inclusion in this scheme will not have to spend more than £32 in any month on prescribed medication.
Under the drugs refund scheme which covers expenditure by the whole family any expenditure on prescribed medication above £90 in a calendar quarter is refunded by the health board. I am satisfied that appropriate and comprehensive support is being provided by the State through the existing range of drug schemes to those with medical expenses arising from cancer-related illnesses.
I have recently taken a series of important initiatives to ensure that all cancer-related services are delivered in the most effective and patient-centred way. Last November I published the national cancer strategy which deals with the development and improved co-ordination of cancer services at all levels, and on 4 March 1997 I announced a detailed action plan showing how the national cancer strategy would be implemented. The plan involves additional expenditure of £25 million over the next three years, starting this year. I am committed to ensuring a responsive and sensitive network of cancer services which will meet the needs of patients and their families in the most appropriate way.
