HSE told to speed up medical card delivery

The Minister for Health says he has told the HSE in no uncertain terms that delays in issuing medical cards are not acceptable and must be tackled.

James Reilly said he spoke with Paddy Burke, head of the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service which runs the medical card scheme, and told him application processing must speed up.

“I have made it very clear to the PCRS that this has to be the case and the last people that should be left in the lurch in terms of any problems there are is the patient,” he said. Mr Burke had earlier apologised for difficulties encountered by applicants which were highlighted at the Public Accounts Committee by TDs this week.

Examples were given of people waiting nine months for cards when three weeks was the target time-frame, and of first-time and renewal applicants whose details repeatedly went missing.

Dr Reilly said much of the problem was due to the centralising of all applications, previously processed locally, to one national centre last year as well as to the increase in medical card applicants because of unemployment.