Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2017
167. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which women suffering breast cancer have ready access to a medical card and access to free prosthesis afterwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44493/17]
View answerA key recommendation of the 2014 Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility was that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. The report also concluded that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. Therefore, medical card provision is solely based on financial assessment. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card.
However, in the assessment of applications the HSE seeks, within the framework of the legislation, to exercise discretion. In that regard the HSE assesses the financial, social and medical circumstances of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. This assessment informs the decisions taken by the HSE on whether to award a medical card on a discretionary basis.
Access to free prosthesis after cancer treatment is a service matter, therefore, I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly on this matter.
