Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, for taking this Topical Issue. It is always good when someone with direct responsibility for an issue comes into the House to face the music.

When the centralisation of medical card applications was announced, the HSE and the Government promised that it would result in a more streamlined, efficient and, ultimately, compassionate system, in which people's needs would be responded to quickly, directly and compassionately. It is clear, however, from what I am hearing from my constituents in County Clare that this is simply not happening, unfortunately. I have heard numerous stories of medical cards being withdrawn from children with disabilities who are among the most vulnerable in our society. The parents of these children did not find out about the withdrawal of the medical cards until they went to pharmacies, as they do on a regular basis, to obtain the drugs or pharmaceuticals needed by their children. When they learned that the medical cards were no longer valid, they contacted the centralised unit and were told the matter would be dealt with if they filled in an application form. The people concerned have been treated with very little compassion or understanding of the very difficult situation in which they find themselves. That is certainly not what the Government promised. As someone who regularly goes through the voting lobbies in support of the Government, it is certainly not what I would have expected.

I do not intend to take up a very long period. There are some specific questions I would like to have answered. How many medical cards have been withdrawn this year from children with special needs, particularly with autism and cancer? Has any of these medical cards been cancelled without a statutory review being conducted? In other words, have they simply been cancelled on a whim, with people being asked to reapply if they believe they really deserve them? Is there a deliberate policy of cancelling medical cards to save money, before making people reapply and prove they should have had them in the first place? How many medical cards have subsequently been restored on appeal? I appreciate that the Minister of State might not have an answer to that final question.

I commend the Minister of State again for coming into the Chamber to deal with this important issue. It is very difficult for families to deal with the severe stress caused by lifelong conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The removal of medical cards from such families adds very much to and compounds the pressures they are facing at a difficult time for everyone in the country.

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