Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of medical cards for those who are terminally ill. We are all aware of a recent case of a man who was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer having his medical card removed and reinstated, not once but twice. Let us pause for a second and imagine what it must be like to be told by a consultant or doctor that one has cancer and is terminally ill. That must be absolutely devastating news for the individual concerned to get and it must also be heartbreaking and devastating for the person's family. As we are all aware, the process of trying to obtain a medical card can be trying and stressful at the best of times, but this practice of reviewing medical cards for terminally ill patients is cruel and heartless and should cease.