Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleague Deputy Scanlon in raising this issue and in seeing how it can be made easier. The reality for people who are suffering from cancer or chronic and long-term illness is extremely difficult. These people have a lot of things going on in their lives; they are trying to deal with the illness and trying to live some sort of a life while dealing with other issues outside of their control with their illness. The painful process of making an application for a medical card is absolutely horrific. I know one young girl who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and she is currently trying to finish her studies and get on with her life. She has made the application for the medical card and has been refused. She was looking for information from external sources, outside of her control. Because her application went outside the three-month window they closed down the application. When I called they said they were sorry but that was it and nothing could be done. This is shocking. I know another young man who has stomach cancer. He is on social welfare and is trying to fight the system to apply for a medical card, an application which is actually getting refused. He has had no success in getting co-operation in this regard. This is wrong. It should be made easier for people who are suffering from cancer or chronic and other long-term illness to access a medical card without going through this horrific process.

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