Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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204. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the work of the clinical advisory group on medical card eligibility; his plans to publish the interim reports of the group; the date on which the final report of the group will be submitted to him; the timeframe for the publication of same; the status of the commitment in the programme for Government that the group examine guidelines for the awarding of discretionary medical cards for persons undergoing treatment for cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30641/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) was established by the Director General of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in January 2015 to provide clinical oversight and guidance to the operation of a more compassionate and trusted medical card system. Its establishment followed the completion of the work of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility.

The Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility found that it is not feasible, desirable, or ethically justifiable to list medical conditions for medical card eligibility. However, in an interim report to the HSE in 2015, the CAG recommended that all children under the age of 18 years with a diagnosis of cancer should be awarded a medical card for a period of five years. The HSE gave effect to this recommendation on 1 July 2015.

The CAG is continuing its work on the development of guidance on assessing medical card applications involving significant medical conditions. As the Group was established by and reports to the HSE, it is a matter for the HSE to consider the publication of its conclusions when the CAG has completed its work.