Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the granting of a medical card to a person suffering from a terminal illness must be an automatic right, not a gift based on the whims or mood swings of the Minister for Health or the HSE.

Teachta Crowe put this to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly while chairing a meeting of the Oireachtas Health Committee this morning.

Speaking after the meeting, Teachta Crowe said:

“There is no argument that the terminally ill should be immediately and automatically granted a medical card upon diagnosis. Should someone be diagnosed with a life ending condition, the least that this state can do for them and their families is ensure that a financial burden associated with their illness is the least of their concerns. There should be no expiry date and no threat of its removal.

“It was extremely disappointing that this measure was not included in Budget 2021, despite a commitment in the Programme for Government and widespread support across all parties and those in none

“I put this to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly during a meeting of the Oireachtas Health Committee that I chaired this morning where he was at attendance.

“I had called for this measure to be implemented in Budget 2020 last year and was told that a review was imminent and that this would be sorted by last Christmas. The HSE and the Government failed to deliver on this commitment

“This is the right thing to do. We are talking about a small but an important number of our citizens. If someone’s world comes crashing down, surely there is on a human level some responsibility and the right approach for the state to help shoulder some of that burden.”