asked the Minister for Health if any directive has been issued by his Department to health boards advising against requesting pension books from old age pensioners who are hospitalised for a specific medical or surgical condition and who are holders of medical cards.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospitalised Old Age Pensioners.
18.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply of 28th March, 1973, to a similar Parliamentary Question asked by him. The position is that holders of medical cards are entitled to free treatment in public wards for specific medical or surgical conditions and in these circumstances no directive of the type mentioned is necessary.
In view of the number of queries I have had on the subject, I have asked officials of my Department to write to each chief executive officer requesting them to ensure that a medical card holder who is hospitalised for a specific medical or surgical condition is not requested to hand over his or her pension book to officials of the health boards.
As the Deputy is aware, there are circumstances in which it is difficult to decide whether a patient should be seen as a medical patient or as a long-stay continuing care patient. I am asking health boards not to make a distinction between these two conditions for pension book purposes until the person has been hospitalised for three continuous months.
I am always glad to receive specific complaints on this question.
I should like to thank the Minister for this. It is a very important issue. I would also ask him if he would ensure that civil servants or public officials do not make a decision on this matter. It is a medical or surgical decision that must be made. It is possible that the Minister's own mother could be in hospital for six months with a medical or surgical condition. Why should we decide the length of time during which an illness persists?
The Deputy should not embark on an argument.
Would it not be much more logical that the Minister should advise the health boards that the decision must be made by a medical adviser and not by a public official, as has been happening up to date?
The Deputy is broadening the scope of the question.
I am not aware that that is happening but I would say that the decision should rest with the medical men rather than with anybody else.