Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

Does the Minister for Health and Children not accept that this is a shameful record? As this country has become richer, the number of people able to avail of the medical card has declined consistently. This is not because more people are richer but because the ceiling has been kept so low by a Government that is not willing to address the great difficulty people on low incomes have in availing of health care, specifically visiting their doctor and obtaining medication. Is the Minister aware of the substantial increases in the cost of visiting a doctor and of drugs and hospital care? The second two are charges where the Government is responsible for major inflation. Yet, according to the figures the number, in real and percentage terms, of people on medical cards has dropped during the term of office of this Minister. How can she say she is introducing 30,000 new medical cards when the figures indicate a drop in the number of medical cards? Who is the Minister trying to fool? The figures relating to low income families are much worse than indicated because they include the rich over 70s.

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