Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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613. To ask the Minister for Health if medical cards for people with terminal illness are available without a means test. [62077/22]

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 HSE has however a compassionate system in place for the provision of medical cards when it is informed that a patient is receiving end of life treatment - that is when patients’ unfortunately have a prognosis of less than 12 months. The Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ contains a commitment to extend discretionary medical cards to those with a terminal illness. The Report of the Clinical Advisory Group, which was re-established by the HSE to carry out a review of eligibility for medical cards in cases of terminal illness, recommended inter alia, that legislative change would be necessary to underpin an extension to the current prognosis timeframe required for 'End of Life' medical cards. The legislative framework required to underpin the extension of eligibility for medical cards for terminally ill patients on a statutory basis is currently being developed.

Pending finalisation of this legislation, Government has already introduced an administrative arrangement that enables persons who have been certified by their treating Consultant as having a prognosis of 24 months or less to be awarded a medical card. These applications do not require a means assessment nor are they reassessed. I wish to assure the Deputy that I am committed to ensuring that terminally ill patients have access to the services they need.