John Kelly (Labour)

I will speak briefly about rumours that a €50 charge may be introduced for the issuing of medical cards. I informed the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, that if he were considering this option, he should first examine general practitioner contracts and bear in mind that GPs are well paid for patients they accept on their panel who may be an elderly person who attends the GP clinic daily or someone else who never visits the doctor. The Minister should ensure that persons who apply for a medical card are not charged €50 by a general practitioner to stamp a form indicating that the applicant has been accepted as a patient. GPs must stop charging €50 every time a person needs a letter stating he or she has a back ache in order that he or she will have a better case for obtaining a medical card or having a medical card renewed. They must also stop charging medical card holders, including elderly people, €20 to take bloods.

To use the Minister's words, they should take the shoe box off the desk in order that elderly people who have medical cards no longer believe that by giving the doctor an extra €30, €40 or €50 they will get a better service. If these steps are taken, I would not have a problem with proceeding with the proposal to charge €50 for a medical card. At least the doctor would not get this sum for stamping the card in the first instance. I ask the Leader to request that the Minister meet the conditions I have outlined before pursuing the proposed €50 charge. In doing so, he would save patients money.