Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I asked the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to come to the House for a question-and-answer session. I reiterate that call today for a different reason. I want to discuss with him what is happening in the central medical card office. Obviously, it must have cleared the backlog of applications because it has now embarked on a campaign of reviewing everyone with a medical card. Many people issued with medical cards until 2020 are now being reviewed and in many cases, being denied cards following the review. In particular, many people received discretionary medical cards due to serious illness and did not receive them lightly. They received the cards because they were extremely ill but the cards are now being taken off them as well. I want the Minister to come here and answer questions from us as to why this is happening and why he feels it necessary to review people whose circumstances have not changed since they last applied for cards but who are now being refused them.