Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 8 Oct 1998

Vol. 494 No. 6

Written Answers. - Post-Polio Syndrome.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

57 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who suffer from the late effects of post-polio; and if he will consider granting medical cards to all sufferers in view of the fact that this is a small and diminishing group. [18897/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The condition known as post polio syndrome or the late effects of polio — LEP — can strike up to 30 years after the person originally contracted polio. It is estimated that up to 60 per cent of people who contracted polio in Ireland between the 1940's and the late 1960's — representing about 4,200 individuals — either have or will get the condition.

Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Under the Health Act, 1970, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. Medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer, are unable to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants without undue hardship. Income guidelines have been drawn up by the chief executive officers to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility and 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, he/she may still be awarded a medical card if the chief executive officer considers that his/her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be issued to individual family members on this basis.

In view of this special provision previous Governments did not feel it was justifiable to extend an automatic entitlement to a medical card to any specific group without reference to their means or in the case of children, to their parents' means, as a general rule, particularly in view of the many areas of pressing need in the health services and the limited resources available to meet them. 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.

Non-medical card holders are entitled to a broad range of health services including an entitlement to public hospital and public consultant treatment subject only to modest statutory charges and out-patient services free of charges. There are a number of schemes which provide assistance towards the cost of medication. Persons who suffer from an on-going medical condition can avail of the drug cost subsidisation scheme which caters for those who do not have a medical card and are certified as having a medical condition with a regular and on-going requirement for prescribed drugs and medicines. Persons who qualify for inclusion in this scheme will not have to spend more than £32 in any month on prescribed medication. Under the drugs refund scheme which covers expenditure by the whole family, any expenditure on prescribed medication above £90 in a calendar quarter is refunded by the health board.