Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. This is something that came to the attention of Safe Home Ireland on 15 September. I am not sure what arrangements have been in place since the end of June or the beginning of July but this is a category of people who are the most vulnerable and who are returning after many years abroad. Irish citizens cannot get a GP card. How is that fair or equitable for people who were forced to emigrate in the 1960s and 1970s? They spent their working lives abroad and now want to come home to spend their final years in Ireland.

It sounded to me that what the Minister of State said in her response about flexible arrangements with the IMO was leaving someone off the hook. I am not sure if it is the IMO or the HSE. These are cases that should be prioritised. There are recommendations in Sláintecare about directly employing GPs. Perhaps alternative arrangements need to be considered because clearly it is not working. It is not working for someone who is most vulnerable and in the latter years of his life. He might have expected a welcome home but he is not getting that. He will be unable to access a whole load of other arrangements. I can give the Minister of State the details of this organisation and the individual concerned. Perhaps something could be looked at for him. Going forward, a policy must be put in place whereby people who qualify have a right to GP care. Any other way is unacceptable.

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