Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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1878. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to ensure that all affected people in receipt of a medical card as part of the mother and baby homes and county homes redress scheme are given the HAA card and to change the current version; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44703/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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All men, women and children infected with Hepatitis C via contaminated blood and blood products are entitled to a Health Amendment Act 1996 (HAA) card which gives them access on a statutory basis to a wide range of primary care and hospital-based services. The provisions under the HAA card were put in place because the Government at that time deemed the circumstances to be exceptional; the persons concerned had clear health and social support needs as a result of having contracted a very serious and life-threatening condition (Hepatitis C) through contaminated blood transfusions or blood products. The HAA card is separate to the medical card available under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.

When Government approved the development of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, it decided that an “enhanced medical card” should be part of the Scheme benefits. The card issued under the Scheme entitles the holder to the same suite of services as the general medical card and, in addition, it is not means tested, it is a card for life and there are no prescription charges for the cardholder. This information is set out on the Scheme website.

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act of 2023 – the underpinning legislation for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme – sets out in section 34 the health services available to successful applicants in the Scheme and how those services are accessed.

Those in receipt of the card are entitled to the following:

• General Practitioner (GP) services
• Approved prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances
• All inpatient public hospital services in a public ward (including consultant services)
• All outpatient public hospital services in a public ward (including consultant services)
• Maternity and infant care services
• Certain dental/ophthalmic and aural services – contact your local HSE office
• No prescription charges for the person named on this card only
• A lifelong card - You will be automatically issued a new card in 10 years
• Home nursing
• Home support
• Counselling
• Chiropody/podiatry
• Physiotherapy