Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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195. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated annual cost of extending medical card provision for child and adolescent cancers from five years to ten years after diagnosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10328/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Health Act 1970, eligibility for a medical card is based primarily on means. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without due hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure.

The issue of granting medical cards based on having a particular disease or illness was previously examined in 2014 by the HSE Expert Panel on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility. The Group concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. In following the Expert Group’s advice, a person’s means remains the main qualifier for a medical card.

However, since 2015 medical cards are awarded without the need of a financial assessment to all children under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of cancer, for a period of five years.

With regard to the estimated cost of providing a medical card in the manner sought, this information is not readily available and it is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the proposal.