John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Over the past week the Taoiseach cited figures of more than 15,000 discretionary medical cards and 5,000 mercy cards. However, when I contacted the medical card section yesterday it had no information on the criteria or method for acquiring a mercy card. Many people with severe disabilities lost their discretionary cards, including people with spina bifida, Down's syndrome and cancer, resulting in severe financial hardship for the families concerned. How soon will cards be issued to such people, will they be given priority and will the cards be reissued automatically? Will the money spent over the last year by families who have lost medical cards be refunded?

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