Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 February 2014
275. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the total number of full medical cards currently in circulation; the extent to which this figure has fluctuated in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7387/14]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following table. The medical card service is demand led and the number of cards at any given time reflects those persons who have met the eligibility criteria governing the scheme. It should be noted that the higher number of medical cards that issued in 2012 was attributable, primarily, to the backlog of applications in 2011 which were cleared by April 2012.
|
Date |
National Population |
Number of Medical Cards |
|
End 2009 |
4,459,300 |
1,478,560 |
|
End 2010 |
4,470,700 |
1,615,809 |
|
End 2011 |
4,581,269 |
1,694,063 |
|
End 2012 |
4,585,400 |
1,853,877 |
|
End 2013 |
4,593,100 |
1,849,380 |
