Vol. 495 No. 7
404 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will review the eligibility for medical cards for parents of children with long-term illnesses, for example asthma, for parents who do not satisfy the means criteria for medical card and do not qualify for the drugs subsidy scheme. [20939/98]
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 these are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. However, these guidelines are not statutorily binding and even through a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that his/her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be awarded to individual family members on this basis.
In view of this special provision previous Governments did not feel it was justifiable, on health policy grounds, to extend an automatic entitlement to a medical card to any specific group without any reference to their means or in the case of children, to their parents' means, as a general rule. 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.
