asked the Minister for Health whether he will consider introducing legislation whereby all persons under an income level of £1,600 per annum will be eligible for free medicines.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Medicine Eligibility.
29.
As the Deputy is aware, all holders of medical cards are entitled to free medicines for themselves and their dependants. A person outside that category may obtain free medicines if he can establish to the satisfaction of the health board that it would be a hardship to have to meet the cost himself. Furthermore, at the beginning of this month I introduced a scheme under which all persons with certain specified long-term conditions may obtain their requirements of medicines without cost, irrespective of their income. I would hope at some future date to supplement these provisions by introducing a scheme under which there would be recoupment to persons in the limited eligibility or middle income category of some of the cost of their medicines, where these costs exceed a specified monthly figure.
As I feel that the present and proposed arrangements represent a reasonable provision against hardship arising from the cost of drugs and medicines I do not accept that there is need to introduce legislation on the lines proposed by the Deputy. I might add that according to the household budget inquiry carried out a few years ago, the average weekly expenditure of a middle income group family on drink and tobacco was £.62p and on medical, et cetera, services only 30p.
Is the Minister aware of the excessive cost of maintaining a patient in a specialist hospital in the Dublin area—he has just mentioned a figure of up to £80 a week—and is he aware that there is a danger of a tendency developing whereby patients who could be treated on a domiciliary basis if medicines were available to them will be tempted to enter hospitals where they will obtain free medicines under the scheme introduced on 1st October, thereby incurring great expense for the Department of Health?
I could not possibly envisage what is likely to be the result of introducing that scheme.
It happened in England.