Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I dtosach báire, ba mhaith liom tréaslú leis na daoine ar fad a sheas sna toghcháin, go háirithe leo siúd ar éirigh leo. Maidir leis an dream nár éirigh leo, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeachas a dhéanamh leo, mar bhí cúpla seachtain an-gnóthach acu. I congratulate everybody who stood for election, particularly those who were elected. It was a busy period and it was not easy for anybody but it was important. Some people fared better than others but many Members of this House took part and I congratulate them all on doing so well.
Health services and medical cards were a massive issue during the election campaign. It was one of the major issues brought up on the doorsteps when we were canvassing. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, accepted late in the day that there was a major issue around discretionary medical cards. I support the call for an immediate debate on the restoration of the discretionary medical cards. It is vital that they be restored immediately. My party colleague, Deputy Ó Caoláin, is preparing a Bill to make that change. It is the right thing to do. I remind the Government Members present today that they voted for cuts to the health budget which are part of the reason for these cuts in the medical card provision.
I am also concerned by a call this morning from the Irish College of General Practitioners about universal health cover. According to an article by Paul Cullen in The Irish Timestoday it has criticised the Government’s plan for universal health insurance:

. . . saying it will reduce patient choice and "do more harm than good". The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) says the plan will result in fragmentation in the health service and greater inequality affecting poor and rural patients.

Rural Ireland cannot take any more cutbacks. There are serious problems in providing dental, medical, nursing and other health-related services. There is no social worker dealing with the rural part of County Galway for those aged between 18 and 65. Rural health services have been stretched. We need a full debate on this Government’s universal health cover plans. It does not look as if it will be possible to implement them. The ICGP has serious concerns about it. The health service is in chaos. I am not confident that the Minister has a grasp of the issues. We need to debate them as a matter of urgency. As an immediate step discretionary medical cards need to be restored and another approach taken.