Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 17 Jun 2003

Vol. 568 No. 5

Written Answers. - Medical Cards.

John Cregan

Ceist:

341 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people covered by medical cards; the way in which this compares with movements over recent years; when the highest level of cards existed; if his attention has been drawn to the commitment to increase the number by 200,000; if families with young children will receive priority in view of the extreme medical costs for general practitioners currently being faced by working class families with children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16472/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The statistics for medical card coverage since 1994 are as follows:

Year	Total Population	No. of persons with medical cards	% of population covered by medical card
1994	3,571,000	1,286,813	36.04%
1995	3,571,000	1,277,055	35.76%
1996	3,621,035	1,252,384	34.59%
1997	3,626,087	1,219,852	33.64%
1998	3,704,900	1,183,554	31.95%
1999	3,704.900	1,164,187	31.42%
2000	3,786,900	1,148,055	30.32%
2001	3,838,900	1,199,454	31.24%
2002	3,838,900	1,168,745	29.84%
May 2003	3,917,336	1,163,503	29.70%

The health strategy includes a commitment that significant improvements will be made in the medical card income guidelines in order to increase the number of persons on low income who are eligible for a medical card and to give priority to families with children and particularly children with a disability. This should be viewed in the broader context of the strategy's emphasis on fairness and its stated objective of reducing health inequalities in our society. These issues will be implemented as resources permit.