asked the Minister for Health the total number of holders of medical cards; the number of adult dependants of card holders covered by the card; the number of child dependants covered by the medical card; and the combined total expressed as a percentage of total population in each of the past five years.
Written Answers. - Medical Card Holder Statistics.
135.
From information supplied by individual health boards to the General Medical Services (Payments) Board, the information regarding medical card holders is as follows:
The total number of current medical cards on 31 March 1988 was 752,849.
The total number of adult dependants of medical card holders which were covered by the medical cards on 31 March 1988 was 119,472.
The number of child dependants covered by adults' medical cards was 366,965 on the same date.
The percentage of total population covered by medical cards in each of the past five years was as follows:
|
31 December 1987 |
37.88 |
|
31 December 1986 |
37.40 |
|
31 December 1985 |
36.69 |
|
31 December 1984 |
37.03 |
|
31 December 1983 |
38.30 |
The total population is either actual or estimated depending on the proximity of the year to the previous census.