asked the Minister for Health if he will furnish particulars of (a) the names of each dispensary district in the country; (b) the total number of medical card holders in each dispensary district; (c) the total number of persons entitled to general medical services free in each dispensary district; and (d) the total population of each district.
Written Answers. - Health Services.
The information sought by the Deputy, relating to some 630 dispensary districts, is not readily available in my Department and is unlikely to be available, for the date in question, for all dispensary districts. Consequently, even if I were to put every health authority to the trouble and expense of attempting to compile the information ad hoc, it would not be in the precise form which the Deputy has requested.
Statistics of medical cards are available for each health authority area and the latest ones are shown below.
When a similar question was asked on 8th November, 1966 detailed information was available as a result of a special survey. I would refer the Deputy to the reply then given—Official Report, volume 225, col. 386, It may be that this, with the information given in the preceding paragraph of this reply, will give the Deputy, broadly, the information he requires. If it does not, perhaps he would get in touch with me.
Health Authority |
Number of cards current on 31 March, 1970 |
Number of persons, including dependants, covered by cards on 31 March, 1970 |
Percentage of population covered by medical cards on 31 March, 1970 |
Percentage of population covered by medical cards on 31 December, 1969 |
Population (1966 Census) |
Carlow County Council |
4,929 |
15,091 |
45.0 |
44.8 |
33,593 |
Cavan County Council |
8,284 |
16,494 |
30.5 |
30.0 |
54,022 |
Clare County Council |
8,265 |
22,933 |
31.2 |
30.8 |
73,597 |
Cork County Borough |
10,682 |
24,184 |
19.8 |
20.0 |
122,146 |
Cork County (excluding County Borough) |
31,287 |
68,262 |
31.4 |
31.6 |
217,557 |
Donegal County Council |
16,532 |
42,688 |
39.3 |
38.9 |
108,549 |
Dublin County Borough |
37,693 |
85,257 |
15.0 |
15.7 |
568,772 |
Dublin County (excluding County Borough) |
8,148 |
17,355 |
7.7 |
8.2 |
226,275 |
Galway County Council |
28,863 |
73,157 |
49.3 |
48.9 |
148,340 |
Kerry County Council† |
17,311 |
46,739 |
41.4 |
46.0 |
112,785 |
Kildare County Council |
8,696 |
27,222 |
41.0 |
40.6 |
66,404 |
Kilkenny County Council |
8,674 |
25,571 |
42.3 |
42.3 |
60,463 |
Laois County Council |
6,774 |
15,426 |
34.6 |
34.6 |
44,595 |
Leitrim County Council |
4,152 |
11,641 |
38.1 |
37.2 |
30,572 |
Limerick County Borough |
6,934 |
20,149 |
36.0 |
34.7 |
55,912 |
Limerick County (excluding County Borough) |
14,866 |
32,544 |
40.0 |
41.5 |
81,445 |
Longford County Council |
4,098 |
12,871 |
44.4 |
44.8 |
28,989 |
Louth County Council |
9,033 |
19,323 |
27.8 |
28.9 |
69,519 |
Mayo County Council |
15,684 |
51,555 |
44.6 |
43.8 |
115,547 |
Meath County Council |
8,128 |
22,706 |
33.7 |
33.4 |
67,323 |
Monaghan County Council |
7,890 |
18,198 |
39.8 |
39.4 |
45,732 |
Offaly County Council |
7,988 |
20,644 |
39.8 |
39.6 |
51,717 |
Roscommon County Council |
10,395 |
28,628 |
50.9 |
50.4 |
56,228 |
Sligo County Council |
7,171 |
19,268 |
37.6 |
37.1 |
51,263 |
Tipperary (N.R.) County Council |
6,927 |
16,515 |
30.7 |
30.4 |
53,843 |
Tipperary (S.R.) County Council |
8,999 |
24,298 |
35.2 |
35.4 |
68,969 |
Waterford County Borough |
4,184 |
10,624 |
35,6 |
36.0 |
29,842 |
Waterford County (excluding County Borough) |
5,275 |
14,971 |
34.6 |
35.3 |
43,238 |
Westmeath County Council |
5,815 |
17,495 |
33.1 |
32.7 |
52,900 |
Wexford County Council |
13,935 |
38,057 |
45.6 |
44.3 |
83,437 |
Wicklow County Council |
6,764 |
21,115 |
34.9 |
35.0 |
60,428 |
Totals |
344,376 |
880,981 |
30.2 |
30.4 |
2,921,000* |
*The population figures for each area, are taken from the 1966 Census of Population. The total population figure (2,921,000) is the official estimate of population for 1969.
†Reduction due to general review recently carried out.