Denis Naughten
Ceist:139 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to provide a medical card for all children with a mental handicap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26201/98]
Written Answers - Medical Cards.
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is pri marily 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 without undue hardship, to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants. Income guidelines have been 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, the guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that his or her medical needs 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.
I would also like to mention that under the long-term illness scheme persons suffering from a number of conditions including mental handicap, can obtain without charge drugs and medicines for the treatment of that condition. In addition children under 16 receiving treatment for mental handicap are exempt from public hospital statu tory charges.