Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 324: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether funding should be made available to the parents of a child from west Cork, with a medical card, to cover the cost of travel for regular visits for treatment in Dublin hospitals. [11135/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the assessment of applications for medical cards.

A medical card holder with full eligibility is entitled to receive general practitioner services and a range of approved prescribed medication under the general medical services scheme from the local community pharmacist free of charge. Decisions in regard to any other funding which might be made available would be a matter for the chief officer of the Health Service Executive's local area to decide.