Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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1037. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a policy change in his Department or whether the regulations regarding the issuing of terminal medical cards is now being fully implemented; the number of terminal medical cards issued over the past year; the total amount; the total versus last years number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45663/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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There has been no change to the policy or the regulations regarding the issuing of medical cards to terminally ill patients.

The HSE has an effective system in place for the provision of emergency medical cards for patients who are terminally ill, or who are seriously ill and in urgent need of medical care that they cannot afford. They are issued within twenty-four hours of receipt of the required patient details and the letter of confirmation of the condition from a doctor or a medical consultant. With the exception of terminally ill patients, the HSE issues all emergency cards on the basis that the patient is eligible for a medical card on the basis of means or undue hardship, and that the applicant will follow up with a full application within a number of weeks of receiving the emergency card. As a result, emergency medical cards are issued to a named individual, with a limited eligibility period of six months.

For persons with a terminal illness in palliative care, no means test applies. Once the terminal illness is verified, patients are given an emergency medical card for six months. Given the nature and urgency of the issue, the HSE has appropriate escalation routes to ensure that the person gets the card as quickly as possible.

The information sought by the Deputy, concerning the number of medical cards issued to persons with a terminal illness in palliative care, is not readily available. However, I have asked the Health Service Executive to supply this information to me and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.