Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I am glad the Minister has taken time to be here. I appreciate that. My colleagues have said there has been widespread acceptance from GPs and geriatricians that more older people will be admitted to acute hospitals because of the removal of the over 70s medical card from 5% of people, and there will be a decline in public health. This generation does not abuse and is not wasteful. It rarely uses its medical card. A number of people never used their medical cards but are registered with their GP and the GP still gets paid for those patients. That should have been addressed and still could be.

What is most mesmerising about this decision is the lack of transparency as to the actual savings for the Exchequer. As Senator Fitzgerald said, there is widespread confusion. Most important, the elderly are confused. Why not increase taxation for judges and Deputies who can afford to pay? Let the millionaires pay, not the most vulnerable and those who have worked all their lives to establish our country.

I have had a representation from a man whose wife was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He aided her in her decline and demise, but he did not know how to care for her because he did not have a medical card. Therefore, he was not entitled to ancillary benefits such as access to the public health nurse, home help and meals on wheels. It is much more difficult to access these services if one has no medical card. An elderly person with a leg ulcer should be able to access dressings. I am aware of many cases where people were nursed back to health in the community, which the Minister advocates, because they had access to all those services through primary care in the community. That is what I advocate — universal health care.

Does the Minister not understand that this may cost the State much more in the long term and as other contributors said, our population is rapidly ageing? Those who do not have access to the medical card will become even more dependent on State services. A previous speaker spoke about having a chest infection. That can become a more serious condition such as pneumonia or pleurisy and the person may have to go to hospital. People do not want to burden the doctor but if they had a medical card, even that 5%, they would use it and, I emphasise, not abuse it. The concern is to keep people out of acute hospitals and ensure they are available for people who are very ill. This universal measure is being axed without regard to the benefits from the point of view of people's health.

On the flip side, the people over 70 who do not qualify for a medical card will have to pay more than €100 a month for their medication and if they need to go to an accident and emergency department, that will cost another €100. If they require X-rays, pathology services or blood tests, they will have to pay for those as well. As the Minister said, this is based on their gross income. Many people's pension funds have gone through the roof, so to speak, as a result of what is happening in the global economy and burdening people to this degree is very serious. As Senator O'Toole said, the true figure in terms of those affected is much more than 20,000. He gave the example of 15,000 teachers but what about the nurses and the gardaí who have retired? All of those people are on public service occupational pensions and they, too, will not qualify for the medical card.

Senator Feeney spoke about the people with pre-existing illnesses who have surrendered their private medical insurance. What is to happen to those people? Will they have to pay back ten years' premiums to the VHI? Any of the older people I know would find it a huge burden to pay back that amount.

I applaud the Minister for rowing back in the way she did and for listening. She is a caring Minister and one who listens. I applaud also the wonderful people in the grey army. In my young life as a politician I have never experienced such strength and courtesy as I did on Molesworth Street that day. I agree with Senators Prendergast and Feeney on allowing people to speak but those of us on this side of the House have not turned this into a political issue. We are elected to represent the people. This is a democracy and I resent Senator Feeney saying we have turned it into a political issue. That is not the case.

With the Chair's indulgence I want to ask the Minister when the sexual assault treatment centres for Mullingar and Galway will open. The Minister might come back to me on that issue in her own time; I will not put her in a position to do that now. A total of €2.4 million has been allocated and everything is in place, including the forensic service. Doctors and nurses have been trained and I would like to know the position in that regard.