Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Mar 2002

Vol. 550 No. 2

Written Answers. - Medical Cards.

John V. Farrelly

Ceist:

248 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a reply from the polio support group regarding an application for sufferers to be considered as a long-term illness and that a medical card would automatically be given to these people; if his Department has considered this; his plans to make a decision in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7577/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

A submission from the Post Polio Support Group has been received and has been considered in my Department.

At present, there are no proposals to extend automatic eligibility to people affected by this condition. However, people who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. Eligibility for a medical card is solely a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board to decide. In determining eligibility, the chief executive officer has regard to the applicant's financial circumstances. Health boards use income guidelines to assist in determining eligibility. However, where a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that the person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. Medical cards may also be issued to individual family members on this basis.

Persons suffering from any of the following conditions, who are not already medical card holders, may obtain without charge drugs and medicines for the treatment of that condition under the long-term illness scheme: mental handicap, mental illness for persons under 16 years only, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, haemophilia, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophies, parkinsonism and acute leukaemia. There are no plans to extend the long-term illness scheme to include persons with polio.

Non-medical card holders, and people with conditions not covered under the long-term illness scheme, can use the drugs payment scheme. Under this scheme, no individual or family unit pays more than €53.33 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.