Vol. 472 No. 2
106 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the current position in relation to having a temporary medical card issued for people who experience short-term illnesses which incur high expenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22878/96]
Limerick East): Under the Health Act, 1970, medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board are unable, without undue hardship, to provide general practitioner services for themselves and their dependants.
Income guidelines are drawn up by the chief executive officers to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility and these guidelines are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. However, these guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, that person may still be awarded a medical card if the chief executive officer considers that the person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be awarded to individual family members.
It is open to all persons to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board for health services if they are unable to provide these services for themselves or their dependants without hardship. I am satisfied that the health boards give sympathetic consideration to such applications when the circumstances warrant it.
Non-medical card holders are, of course, entitled to a broad range of health services including in-patient public hospital services subject only to modest statutory charges and outpatient services free of charges. They are also entitled to a refund of expenditure (including that of dependants) over £90 per calendar quarter on prescribed drugs and medicines.
107 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health if the provision allowing persons to retain their medical card while on the back-to-work allowance scheme will also be made available to persons in receipt of a one parent family payment while earning less than £6,000 per annum. [22880/96]
Limerick East): Under the Health Act, 1970, determination of medical card eligibility is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board.
The provision referred to by the Deputy arose from initiatives announced in the 1996 budget which were specifically targeted at the long-term unemployed. Arrangements have been put in place by the chief executive officers of the health boards to enable persons who have been unemployed for at least twelve months to retain their medical cards for three years after entering employment. The chief executive officers have agreed to review at the end of the year the arrangements in place in relation to the provision.
