Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1109. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware that many procedures are not covered by the medical card; and to commit to expanding access for all necessary medical procedures, including dental implants, under the medical card. [2428/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Public Health System provides for two categories of eligibility for persons ordinarily resident in the country, i.e., full eligibility (medical cards) and limited eligibility.

Eligibility for a medical card is primarily based on a financial assessment which is conducted by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in accordance with the Health Act 1970 (as amended).

Individuals with full eligibility can access a range of services including General Practitioner (GP) services, prescribed approved drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including consultant services, all out-patient public hospital services including consultant services, dental, ophthalmic, and aural services, aids and appliances, and maternity and infant care services.

A GP visit card provides for eligible individuals to visit a participating GP service without fees and also covers visits to GP out-of-hours service.

In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. The HSE afford applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting documentation to determine whether undue hardship exists and to fully take account of all relevant circumstances that may benefit them in assessment.

At present, the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Services available annually and on demand include an examination including preventative elements, two fillings, extractions, and a scale and polish. More complex care, such as additional fillings, dentures, and a broader range of treatments for patients with additional needs and high-risk patients are available subject to the approval of the local HSE Principal Dental Surgeon.

In the long term, the Government is committed to fundamentally reforming oral healthcare services, including the DTSS, through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte. Access to preventative care to support people to maintain their health and help prevent problems arising is the mainstay of the new service model set out in the Policy.

Accordingly, the HSE is progressing the development of new packages of preventative care for adult medical card holders. However, to support the restoration of acceptable oral health function after dental problems such as total tooth loss, the HSE will develop clinical care pathways to enable a standardised approach to identifying patients who need such care and to make this care available.