John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise again the issue of the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, the organisation which has taken over the administration of the medical card scheme. I have raised this issue on numerous occasions in the House. Since it was centralised, it has caused enormous problems for people and an enormous amount of stress for them in trying to get their full entitlement. Two weeks ago I raised the issue here that people on the rural social scheme, under the guidelines, are entitled to retain their medical cards, as are their wives and children. I had two cases over the past ten days where people's wives and children were refused cards because of very low income. Since then these decisions have been reversed, but there was nothing in the guidelines allowing this to be done in the first place. Now I see young people on the dole are being refused medical cards. A 23 year old on €100 a week, which is the maximum rate of unemployment assistance he can get, is being refused a medical card. There is no legislative basis whatsoever for this. I call on the Leader to bring this to the attention of the Minister, and have it on the agenda.The next Government must, as part of its agenda, review the way the PCRS does its business because it seems quite clear it is making it up as it goes along and taking a chance on refusing medical cards. Some people believe its decision that they are not entitled to a medical card, with the consequence that they go away and do not get their full entitlement.