Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I want to clarify one point. I said earlier, "While acknowledging the challenge that healthcare costs can vary significantly across different individuals and different jurisdictions, a payment of €3,000 would represent a practical measure of acknowledgment for those who are living overseas and choose not to avail of the enhanced medical card". That €3,000 refers to the overseas piece. I want to be clear about that.

The enhanced medical card is a critical component of the payment scheme and will provide significant benefits to an estimated 19,000 former residents of mother and baby institutions. It provides a statutory basis for access to more services than the standard medical card, including, physiotherapy, chiropody, counselling and home help. In addition, cardholders do not pay a prescription fee, receive enhanced dental services and can attend their GP of choice, once the GP is registered. The statutory entitlement to those services is significant in that these services are guaranteed.

As well as general payments, the work-related payments for those who are eligible, an €800 million payment scheme, represents a genuine effort by this Government to recognise and acknowledge the harsh conditions, emotional abuse and all forms of mistreatment, stigma and trauma that may have been experienced by former residents of a mother and baby or county home institution.

I take on board what the Deputy has said. An enhanced medical card scheme is intended to be exactly that - enhanced. It is to cover all aspects of healthcare. A person who has been waiting for access to cataract treatment for nine months would qualify for that treatment under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, which is reimbursed.

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