Asthma, arthritis, and hearing problems — but no medical card

Katie Connolly will turn six in February.

And while all children younger than her have been promised free GP care shortly after that, she will have to start paying for her doctor visits, which she needs almost every week.

Katie, from Douglas in Cork, was granted a discretionary medical card when she was born — not because of her age but because she has Down’s syndrome and greater medical needs than most other children.