Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The idea that Fine Gael would hail a policy whereby the oldest, sickest and those with profound disabilities and significant life challenges would have a medical card taken from them at the age of six is despicable. This is happening day in, day out. There is not a Deputy in the House who has not raised the issues of discretionary medical cards and medical cards being taken from people who need them badly. We have encountered cases in which people in the latter days of their lives had medical cards taken from them. Organisations advocating on behalf of people with disabilities and illness write to us every week of the year stating their members are having their cards withdrawn. Elderly people of 85 and 90 are being dragged through review processes.

We are all for probity in the use of public funds but I just do not accept the argument that the under-sixes arrangement is not being funded by those who most need medical care and medical cards. It was a gimmick because Fine Gael set out in its original promise or commitment that the first to come into consideration would be those with a long-term illness, followed by those in the high-tech drug scheme. The proposal was to roll out the system to the rest of the population thereafter. Bearing in mind the money provided in the Estimates for the last year, it is evident that there has been no ring-fencing of extra money. If would be all fine and proper if there had been. Even last year's Estimates indicated the Government would make €666 million in cuts in the system and that there would be a probity trawl worth €108 million. There was no extra funding provided for people in receipt of medical cards; there was a reduction. What occurred represents a shameful exercise. I still cannot believe the Government sees nothing wrong with asking those most in need to give to those who may not need the medical card at all. It is transferring a service from the very sickest to individuals who may not be sick and who may have the means to pay for a general practitioner. This scheme would be wonderful, as echoed in the palaver, if it were not funded by taking medical cards from those who most need them. We feel very strongly about that.

I raised this issue last year on budget night. With great fanfare, the Government walked in here to announce this particular election stunt. If the Minister for Finance had stated, either before or after the Minister for Health spoke, that the Government was to increase the amount of money available so those with discretionary medical cards could retain them and that it was to provide extra money for universal general practitioner care for those under six, it would have been tolerated, but not the other way around. What occurred was done in an underhand, disingenuous way. Day in, day out, organisations make presentations to this effect at the Joint Committee on Health and Children and individuals consistently highlight in our clinics their plight or that of their loved ones. I am not making up this. Many organisations and individuals are saying what I suggest day in, day out. I suggest that the Minister meet some of them and listen to their problems. If he is saying there has been no change to how discretionary medical cards are awarded, he is not living in the same world in which I live. What I describe is happening day in, day out.

I raised some time ago the difficulties that general practitioners are facing. We have encountered this in recent days. There is a crisis in general practitioner services nationally. I raised this long before the general practitioners decided to highlight their concerns at very public meetings throughout the country. I am no mouthpiece for general practitioners; they are well able to fight their corner. The Minister is one himself.

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