Jimmy Harte (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Health to the House to explain the situation regarding medical card reviews in the north west. I have been contacted by people in my constituency in this regard. One was the friend of a 91 year old cancer patient who received a letter and medical card review form and, as a result, had not slept for three or four nights. This seems to be a particular problem in the north west. People are being asked to complete and return these review forms. Some of these people have gone to live in nursing homes and do not have the capacity to access the information required or to supply it. Many of them do not even receive the letter or are not aware of it. Many of them have had a medical card for ten years and have never been reviewed. I ask the Minister to allay the fears of the people concerned. I have had several calls to my office from people in this category. Their families cannot find the information they are being asked for because the person concerned is incapacitated. This is causing considerable concern in the north west. I ask that the Minister come to the House and explain this matter and give us some clarity on it.