Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to highlight an issue that is putting undue strain on people who are already faced with stressful times, particularly where their health is concerned. Unfortunately, there is not a family or home in the country that has not been touched by cancer. A particular problem has come to my attention but, in order to be helpful, I also have a solution. I hope the simple answer to the difficulty that people are experiencing will be taken on board and, more importantly, will be implemented.

The issue has to do with the turnaround concerning decisions on medical cards, as well as the pain and financial strain that have been caused by the delay involved.

Over recent months I have had a number of very worried and sick people have come to my office in Dungarvan in County Waterford seeking help with their medical cards. Naturally, these people are extremely worried and stressed about their diagnosis and the treatment they are facing. I am sad to report that while they were focusing on getting treatment and trying to get better, our medical card system was adding to their stress. This is simply not good enough.

I will illustrate the point by way of example. Recently, a lady came to me who had received a serious cancer diagnosis in June. Straight away she applied for her medical card. By the time she had contacted me it was September and there was no decision on her card. Only this morning I received from Kieran Healy, head of customer services at the HSE, a response to a parliamentary question on this issue. The reply clearly states that the application processing team works to a 15-day working day turnaround time for complete applications. That is clearly not the case.

More upsetting, I spoke to the lady who had been waiting from June to September, by which time there was no decision on her medical card. In that time she had incurred bills of in excess of €500 in the pharmacy and was also facing a very expensive bill for four chemotherapy treatments. I know of another case where a sick man applied for a card in August and as of today, 7 October, it has not even been sent for initial assessment. That lapse is far more than 15 days. The response I received to a parliamentary question is simply not good enough.

The applications for a medical card need to be screened initially for serious illnesses such as cancer. These applications should be taken from the pile and fast-tracked. There should be a quick initial scan of applications and the relevant applications should be prioritised for means. The HSE should ensure these are done within 15 days. It is as simple as that. I realise the Minister of State knows that people facing serious illnesses have enough to worry about. They should not have to worry about the cost of chemotherapy or drugs as well. They should be focusing on getting well and should not have to go to Deputies or ring helplines to get something to which they are entitled.

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