Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

People throughout the country are receiving letters notifying them of a review of their medical card eligibility and entitlements. In many cases, medical cards are being taken away from people, which causes great anxiety and distress to them. Within this general cull of medical cards there has been a particularly nasty focus on those with serious illnesses who had discretionary medical cards. They may have been over the income threshold but because of the seriousness of their medical conditions, including cancer and motor neurone disease, they were in receipt of a discretionary medical card.

The figures tell the story. A few years ago, about 80,000 people were in receipt of discretionary medical cards but that figure has now fallen to 56,000. That reduction of 24,000 discretionary medical cards within the system affects young children with multiple complex conditions, many adults with severe illnesses, as well as incapacitated senior citizens. It is a nasty, underhand and sneaky attack whose bottom line is to save money. It is hitting the most medically compromised within our health service. It is hitting patients who can least afford to lose their medical cards because of the additional expense and costs associated with their illnesses and medical conditions.

There have been ongoing official denials about this matter from the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste - as late as last Thursday - and the HSE. I was struck, however, by a letter published in The Irish Times on 25 July 2013 from Professor Orla Hardiman.

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