Vol. 481 No. 4
138 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Health and Children if any of the health boards automatically issue a medical card to children with Down's syndrome; if he will favourably instruct health boards to automatically issue children with Down's syndrome with medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16231/97]
Health boards do not issue medical cards automatically to children with Down's syndrome.
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Under the Health Act, 1970 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 provide general practitioner medical and surgical 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.
In addition, these guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, the 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 particularly in view of the very many areas of pressing need in the health services and the limited resources available to meet them.
Every person who is in genuine need of a medical card, must of course, receive one and I am satisfied that health boards give sympathetic consideration to applications when the circumstances warrant it.
