asked the Minister for Health if he will state for each of the years 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963 the number of medical cards (a) issued and (b) withdrawn, and the number of applications for medical cards refused in South Tipperary and West Waterford.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Cards.
1.
I presume that the Deputy's question refers to the South Tipperary Constituency which comprises (1) all but a small portion of the administrative area of Tipperary (South Riding) County Council and (2) the western portion of the Waterford Health Authority area. The information given in the reply relates to the areas comprising the Constituency with the exceptions indicated in the statement.
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, to circulate it with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
|
Year Ended 31st December, 1960 |
Year Ended 31st December, 1961 |
Year Ended 31st December, 1962 |
Year Ended 31st December, 1963 |
|||||||||
|
Number of Medical Cards |
Number of applications for medical cards refused |
Number of Medical Cards |
Number of applications for medical cards refused |
Number of Medical Cards |
Number of applications for medical cards refused |
Number of Medical Cards |
Number of applications for medical cards refused |
|||||
|
(a) |
(b) |
(a) |
(b) |
(a) |
(b) |
(a) |
(b) |
|||||
|
Issued |
Withdrawn |
Issued |
Withdrawn |
Issued |
Withdrawn |
Issued |
Withdrawn |
|||||
|
(1) That portion of Tipperary South Constituency in the administrative area of Tipperary (SR) Co. Council |
Not available |
*401 |
*412 |
*144 |
547 |
758 |
123 |
602 |
763 |
57 |
||
|
(2) That portion of Tipperary South Constituency in the Waterford Health Authority area |
391 |
42 |
57 |
276 |
65 |
74 |
1,223 |
62 |
46 |
1,137 |
63 |
85 |
*These figures relate to the period 1st June to 31st December, 1961—the figures are not available for the year ended 31st December, 1961.
The Tipperary South Constituency consists of (1) the administrative area of Tipperary (SR) County Council except for the Dispensary District of Kilcooly and the District Electoral Division of Clonoulty East in the Kilpatrick Dispensary District, and (2) six whole dispensary districts and part of three other dispensary districts in the Waterford Health Authority area.
The statistics kept by the health authorities relate to dispensary districts as a whole and they are not in a position to furnish the information required in respect of portions of these districts. Consequently, the information given in the reply relates to (a) the administrative area of Tipperary (SR) County Council except for the Dispensary District of Kilcooly and (b) the area comprising the nine dispensary districts in the Waterford Health Authority area which are wholly or partly in the Tipperary South Constituency.
Tipperary (SR) County Council state that the large number of medical cards withdrawn is explained by the fact that during the three years the General Medical Services Register was in process of comprehensive review and re-compilation and that in the period the figures for number of medical cards withdrawn are inflated by the cancellation of cards of people who had died or left the health authority area since the register was first compiled in 1954, but whose cards had not been cancelled at the proper time. Waterford Health Authority state that the increase in the number of medical cards issued for the years 1962 and 1963 is due to a comprehensive review of the General Medical Services Register undertaken in these years. The figures for medical cards issued during these years include cards reissued following the review; but the Health Authority is not in a position to indicate how many cards were issued to new applicants and how many were renewals.