Medical card move could spark industrial action

HEALTH union IMPACT has voted to embark on industrial action if necessary to oppose the HSE’s attempts to centralise medical card processing.

An emergency motion was passed at the union’s national health conference in Castlebar yesterday. Staff working at medical card offices throughout the country have been instructed by the union not to co-operate with attempts to centralise the service.

IMPACT national secretary Kevin Callinan told delegates: “The HSE is taking a service that is locally based, in 32 offices across the country, and dumping it just off the M50 in Dublin. The new system removes the opportunity for quality input from experts such as general practitioners, public health nurses and community welfare officers. Personal contact is lost.