Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Government and the Minister have constantly referred to changing the legislation and so on, but the practice in the HSE, which dates back to the health boards, has been to grant medical cards on a discretionary basis. I am unsure why the Minister of State is saying there no basis for it in law.

I have no wish to mention the exact details because the families would know that I am quoting their files on the floor of the Dáil, but some people who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses have approached me in the past week or two. The medical card section of the HSE is looking for pieces of paper with minute clarifications on this and that and clarifications in respect of income details. The people concerned may be on social welfare. This practice is continuing. As late as yesterday we had a major difficulty with a family of a person with an illness. The HSE was looking for scraps of paper, for want of a better term, and it is intolerable.

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