Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept the list has not been updated since the 1970s and the Minister has clearly indicated there are no plans to review it. That is not realistic and it fails to address the changing medical needs of the population we have now. The Ireland of today is very different to the Ireland of the 1970s and I fail to understand why it should be the Government's policy not to look at changing the list.

A 36 year old lady contacted me approximately three weeks ago who had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease 15 years ago. She continued with her life, working full-time, but when she had a child ten years ago, her condition deteriorated vastly. I accept there are different levels of illness. This lady does not have a medical card despite having a long-term illness. She should be entitled to that. Her husband works all hours but they genuinely cannot afford the medical bills they have. The Minister mentioned the €144 threshold for the drug payment scheme, which is still quite an amount of money that is beyond many people.

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