Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: the problems encountered by people suffering from chronic debilitating illnesses such as MS; the effect of such illnesses on the social lives, emotional stability, financial resources and physical health of the families of those affected if they are deprived of medical cards in their own right; the complexity and difficulty of the efforts of care givers and receivers to cope with long-term illnesses; the expense involved in consulting numerous specialists which involves endless tests and hospitalisations before any decision is made on a diagnosis; the loss to such people of their independent means of earning a living; and the need for the Government to give medical cards to chronically ill people with severe debilitating conditions in their own right.

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