Vol. 506 No. 1
54 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health and Children the special help, if any, available for persons with kidney dialysis machines at home; if they are entitled to medical cards due to their condition; and if any formal assessment is available towards ESB and other costs where equipment is in use for several hours a day. [14743/99]
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 though 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. Special costs associated with an illness such as those mentioned in the Deputy's question would be taken into account when a person's medical card eligibility is being assessed.
In view of this special provision I do not feel it justifiable, nor did previous Governments, on health policy grounds, to extend an automatic entitlement to a medical card to any specific group without any reference to their 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.
