Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne. The reason I tabled this matter is that I am encountering a lot of frustration in my office about medical cards. How many appeals have been upheld in the mid-west? Limerick, north Tipperary and Clare all come within the same catchment area. I have dealt with several people who have terminal illnesses and who have received four or five items of correspondence from the HSE questioning whether they are sick or are still sick. It is terrible. I recently dealt with one medical card application for someone who was ill. It took seven months to be delivered. When people are at a vulnerable time in their lives and are ill, it is not acceptable that it should take seven months for a medical card to be delivered. I do not say everyone should qualify for a medical card, but there are people at vulnerable times in their lives, perhaps with terminal illnesses, which is the case with most of the people to whom I refer. It is frustrating that they keep receiving back more forms and red letters asking questions that have been asked, which is the reason I tabled this matter. It is frustrating not only for the people dealing with this, but especially for the person who is ill. I am dealing with someone who is going through treatment for the fourth time. They still have not received their medical card, which is totally unacceptable because they have been through an awful lot. They were given some very bad news during the week and the same day a letter arrived from the HSE still questioning how ill they were. I wanted to raise this with the Minister of State because she needs to be made aware that there is a lot of frustration out there and that people are not receiving an acceptable level of courtesy. Perhaps she could address the issue of delivery of the card as well.