Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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146. To ask the Minister for Health if discretionary medical cards will be further extended beyond July 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3119/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Persons with a serious medical condition or disability, who had the renewal of their discretionary card refused by the HSE, having completed an eligibility review during the period from 1 July 2011 to 31 May 2014, had their cards reissued to July 2015. These persons can be reassured that they will retain their card pending implementation of the actions to improve the operation of the scheme.

The Deputy will be aware of the publication of the Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility and the Medical Card Process Reviewin November 2014. A key recommendation of the Expert Panel was that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card.

Building on the conclusions of the two reports, a suite of actions has been identified to improve the operation of the medical card system, particularly for people with significant medical needs. Under one of the actions, the HSE is taking steps to establish a clinical advisory group to develop a methodology and guidance for the assessment of applications involving significant medical conditions so as to take account of the burden involved and the needs arising from the condition and to ensure that appropriate services are provided to people who need them.