Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the very important issue of medical cards. I have permission from an applicant to mention this case. I have written to the medical card processing unit on 11 occasions between 14 March and 10 June, contacted them by telephone on more than 15 occasions and asked two parliamentary questions of the Minister for Health with regard to the individual. The man developed encephalomyelitis, which is a general term for inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, in 2012. Since then, he has been left with a great number of neurological defects, which are proving impossible to manage. During this time, he has seen 22 consultants and attends the Santry Sports Clinic in Dublin weekly for treatment as this is the only place in the country that he can be treated. He needs regular botox injections to control the spasms and four times the normal amount of Lyrica to control the pain. As late as Wednesday, 15 June, he received 31 injections in his head. Another example of his condition is that if he was to run after his child in an emergency situation his rib cage would automatically go into spasm to protect his lungs and actually squeeze his lungs, restricting his breathing. He applied for a medical card on 19 January 2016 and was refused a card on 22 February 2016. His application was appealed and refused again on 5 May 2016. His case was then again reviewed by a senior medical officer and the decision was upheld on 8 June 2016.

This is one example of the many cases I have dealt with - I am only one politician in this House and we should think also of all the county councillors dealing with the issue of medical cards - where more than adequate medical information has been provided to entitle people to a medical card and time and again they are being refused. How could any right-thinking person have refused this individual his medical card?

With regard to the current waiting time for cataract operations, I must first compliment the staff in our hospitals providing this service as they are only operating within the resources that are available to them as the demand for the service is very high at the moment. However, I know of people in my constituency who have gone blind while waiting for cataract operations and this continues to happen.

I have been informed by the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, that as of 24 May 2016 in the south and south west hospital groups there are 461 people on the waiting list to be seen. The previous Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, determined that the maximum waiting time should be 15 months but this is not happening as people have had to be taken off the list and are going blind because it has taken so long for their operations to be performed.

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