Batt O'Keeffe
Question:166 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to allow the parents of Down's syndrome children to obtain three to five year medical cards. [26107/02]
Written Answers. - Medical Cards.
Persons suffering from any of the following conditions, who are not already medical card holders, may obtain without charge drugs and medicines for the treatment of that condition under the long-term illness scheme: mental handicap, mental illness (for persons under 16 years only), phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, haemophilia, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophies, Parkinsonism and acute leukaemia.
People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. Eligibility for a medical card is solely a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board to decide. In determining eligibility, the chief executive officer has regard to the applicant's financial circumstances. Health boards use income guidelines to assist in determining eligibility. However, where a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may be awarded 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. There are no plans to extend medical card eligibility automatically to include children with Down's syndrome.
Non-medical card holders, and people with conditions not covered under the long-term illness scheme, can use the drugs payment scheme. Under this scheme, no individual or family unit pays more than €65 per calendar month – rising towards €70 per month from 1 January 2003 – towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.
The domiciliary care allowance is paid by health boards in respect of eligible children up to the age of 16 years who are so severely disabled or mentally handicapped that they require care and attention which is considerably in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age.