Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 168: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the problems that have arisen since the processing of medical cards for persons aged 70 and over have been centralised away from local offices to the primary care reimbursement service; if she has requested detailed reports on delays, on unexplained withdrawal of cards, and confusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16163/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Up to the start of this year, medical card and GP visit card applications were processed in the 32 local health areas. However, under the Health Service Executive's (HSE) 2009 Service Plan, the processing of all medical card and GP visit card applications will be centralised and will transfer to the Executive's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) in Dublin. The change is being implemented on a phased basis and has commenced with the PCRS processing all medical card applications for persons aged 70 or over.

Following enactment of the Health Act 2008, the HSE wrote to all medical card holders aged 70 years and over in January 2009. Persons who were in receipt of a medical card on a non means tested basis were requested, if over the income limits set out in the Act, to make a declaration to the Executive, on or before 2 March 2009.

The HSE has reported to my Department that to-date, 19,954 medical cards for persons aged 70 and over have been returned or removed from the medical card register. 10,690 of these cards were returned to the HSE by persons aged 70 or over whose weekly income was in excess of the specified thresholds and a further 9,264 medical cards were removed from the medical card register as part of a data quality exercise, where for example, the HSE had been advised that the card holder is deceased or the card holder was not known at the address, etc. The vast majority of people in the over 70s age group retained their medical cards.

The Executive has also reported to my Department that it has advised doctors regarding clients that have been notified to the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) as deceased, gone away or where duplicates exist. In circumstances where a card holder has been removed from the medical card register and they are still entitled to a medical card, the person or their GP should advise the HSE immediately and as soon as the details are confirmed, the client's medical card eligibility will be restored. The HSE has received contact from a number of doctors and individuals in this regard and these cases are being worked through.

The introduction of the new over 70s medical card scheme has resulted in a high number of telephone calls and inquiries to the PCRS. The Executive reports that while there can be delays experienced at certain times of the day, over 94% of callers speak to a customer service representative on the day that they call. The new central office has dealt with in excess of 80,000 telephone inquiries in the first quarter of 2009, and has processed in excess of 7,000 new medical card applications.

The Executive reports that Local Health Offices continue to deal with queries of a general nature about the medical card scheme and will provide any assistance needed with the application process, and, along with the National Helpline (1850 24 1850), will deal with inquiries from clients in respect of their medical card entitlements and completion of application forms.