Dáil debates

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages

 

6:05 pm

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill. Providing a GP medical card is a step in the right direction. I emphasise the word "step". However, I believe we need a total re-examination of the way carers are treated. Every one of us across this floor has put in applications or helped people with their applications. The process is very cumbersome. It might take three or four months, and longer if it goes to an appeal - possibly six, seven or eight months. That is a long period to wait for an outcome. I have seen cases, especially in rural parts of Ireland, where a potential carer might have a piece of land and the adjudication might be that the person spends time on the land so he or she could not care for the person. We must realise that morning, noon and night, these people are being cared for. The carers might go out and do a bit of work outside for half an hour or an hour, but they come in again. A person then makes the decision at the stroke of a biro to disallow the application. That is one thing we need to look at.

A problem can arise where a husband and wife are working and because of the love for his or her family, for a mother, father, son or daughter, one of them gives up work.

Then they must go through an assessment of means and all that craic. Does the State not realise that if they took the easy option for their loved ones they could go through the likes of the fair deal system, and a nursing home would cost the State more than €206 or €208 a week? Anybody who gives up work to look after their loved one should have these issues sorted out regardless of what their husband is earning, because they are causing terrible problems. Someone might give up a job and then they might be refused carer's allowance. They may have kids going to school. That puts a ferocious financial strain on them. Putting someone into a nursing home, as the Minister of State knows well, costs between €850 and €1,200 a week. The carers throughout this country are the greatest servants of this country, with the hours they put in, their patience and what they do for their loved ones.

Carers can also be neighbours that come in and help people. I know that the Minister of State does not have the money to do everything. However, in the upcoming budget, I ask him to do whatever he can to assist the carers and make their lives easier. I ask him to be mindful of those people, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, who have given up work and all their time to make sure that they look after their loved ones, rather than see them go somewhere they might not want to go. In fairness, I know that he is looking at the fair deal system, which I appreciate. It is badly needed. I thought it was to be before Government yesterday, but I do not think it was. It needs to be brought forward as quickly as possible. I ask the Minister of State to change that situation. Every one of us in the House sees people being turned down. They are doing the work; they are helping their loved ones morning, noon and night, and they are doing this State a massive service.

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