Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1725. To ask the Minister for Health if automatic or priority access to a medical card will be considered for individuals who have suffered a stroke, given the long-term medical needs and rehabilitation costs associated with recovery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11815/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Medical Card provision is primarily based on financial assessment. In accordance with the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE, which assesses each application on a qualifying financial threshold.

The issue of granting medical cards on the basis of illness or a disability 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, every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. The HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income threshold where they face difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are also considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services.

I can assure the Deputy that, to ensure the medical card system is responsive and sensitive to people's needs, my Department keeps medical card issues under review and any changes are considered in the context of Government policy and other issues which may be relevant.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1726. To ask the Minister for Health if the online medical card application system will be updated to allow applicants to save and return to their application at a later stage, rather than losing progress due to timeouts, in order to make the process more accessible and user-friendly for those with medical conditions or disabilities. [11816/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.