Woman, 100, to lose medical card

A 100-YEAR-OLD woman was ordered to hand over her medical card in a letter from the HSE which she received late last month, it has emerged.

The situation, made public by Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) GP committee chair Dr Martin Daly, arose after a dozen patients at a single GP practice in Galway, whose illnesses meant they all qualified for the state serviceregardless of income, received letters from the HSE in recent weeks informing them they were no longer eligible. According to Dr Daly, while the 100-year-old woman is in good health, she has a close family relative who has a chronic health problem — leading to calls that she is in vital need of the documentation.