Pressure on Reilly to detail medical card cuts

Health Minister James Reilly is under growing pressure to explain where massive budget cuts to the medical card scheme will fall amid fears that 100,000 people will lose the entitlement.

GPs warned discretionary medical cards — awarded to people on the basis of health needs rather than on income — will become “a thing of the past”, as Government seeks a target of €113m in savings from the scheme.

The Irish Cancer Society said it is swamped with calls from distressed patients who fear they’ll have to pay €75 a week for chemotherapy treatment if their cards are removed in a review.