Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2004
365 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to introduce automatic entitlement to medical card insurance and annual renewal for all children with congenital heart disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20340/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraEntitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on residency and means. Any person, regardless of nationality, who is accepted by the health boards as being ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to either full eligibility — category 1, i.e. entitlement to a medical card — or limited eligibility — category 2 — for health services. Health boards normally regard a person as ordinarily resident in Ireland if he or she satisfies the health board that it is his or her intention to remain in Ireland for a minimum period of one year. Under the Health Act 1970, the determination of eligibility for health services is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board and neither I nor my Department has a function in the matter.
Persons in category 1 are medical card holders and they are entitled to a full range of services including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultants services, all out-patient public hospital services including consultants services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances and a maternity and infant care service. Persons in category 2 — non-medical card holders — are entitled, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultants' services and outpatient public hospital services including consultants' services. The current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €45 per night, up to a maximum of €450 in any twelve consecutive months. Attendance at accident and emergency departments is subject to a charge of €45 where the patient does not have a referral note from his or her doctor. This charge applies only to the first visit in any episode of care. There are a number of other exemptions to the statutory charges, including women receiving services in respect of motherhood, children up to the age of six weeks and children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school health examinations.
Persons suffering from specified 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. This list does not include congenital heart disease. There are no plans at this time to amend the long-term illness scheme to cover persons with other forms of illness. Health boards have discretion, in cases of exceptional need, to provide assistance to individuals where undue hardship would otherwise be caused.
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. Due to the prevailing budgetary situation I regret that it is not possible to meet this commitment this year but the Government remains committed to the introduction of the necessary changes within the lifetime of this Government.
