Vol. 545 No. 3
123 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will arrange that qualified elderly people who have had to pay for general practitioners and prescribed medicines since April will be refunded that expenditure, on presentation of receipts, when they have been formally assigned as medical card patients to their doctors. [30335/01]
Consideration is being given by my Department to setting up an ad hoc scheme to refund drug costs incurred by persons who had an automatic entitlement to a medical card on 1 July but who had to pay for drugs either under the drug payment scheme or on a pay as you go basis where the costs in a month would not have exceeded £42. Eligible persons in this age category who have paid general practitioners consultation fees should seek refunds from the doctors concerned. Following the agreement reached in July 2001 the Irish Medical Organisation did ask their members not to charge their patients.
