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

I put it to the Tánaiste that the Government's policy on discretionary medical cards is hitting hardest people with disabilities and children with special needs. In a survey, Down Syndrome Ireland, estimated that up to 100 people children with Down's syndrome have lost their discretionary medical cards. Up to half of the children with that syndrome have heart defects, gastrointestinal conditions and many other conditions attached to the syndrome. It is hitting them very hard. Children with very rare syndromes and conditions ordinarily had a medical card and have lost the discretionary medical card as a result of the change in policy. The Disability Federation of Ireland has raised serious concerns about the Government's medical card policy, particularly its impact on those currently receiving discretionary medical cards who have disabilities and multiple conditions. The federation makes the point that, for many people with disabilities, the costs associated with their conditions, including general medical services, therapies, transport and expensive medical aids and appliances, compromise their capacity to meet other basic costs of living. It says that removing the medical card from these people will cause their families undue hardship and stress. The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation deals with chronically ill children and works hard with them and is at the end of its tether with the struggles of many of the parents of children who attend services provided by the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation to get medical cards they lost. The director of the HSE wrote a seven-page letter to the Minister for Health about the health service plan and the Government decision to take over €100 million out of medical card services next year as a result of the budget, saying that such cuts to medical card services are being taken "against the advice of the HSE and the Department of Health". Does the Tánaiste accept the medical card policy is hitting hardest the sickest children, children with multiple conditions, children with very rare medical syndromes and medical conditions of all in the changes to the discretionary medical card system? Will he publish the letter sent by the director of the HSE to the Minister for Health in respect of the health service plan 2014?

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