People ‘fall through cracks’ in medical card reviews

Pharmacists should be kept informed when a customer’s medical card is up for review to avoid cases where people find themselves suddenly without the entitlement.

The proposal was made by Labour TD Ciarán Lynch, who said there are a “substantial cohort” of people who are “clearly entitled to hold medical cards” but fall through cracks in the review process.

When a person’s card is up for review, the onus is on them to complete a reform, establishing that they are still entitled to it, and return it to the HSE.