State ‘stripping sick of medical cards to fund under-6 care’

Doctors have accused the Government of stripping sick, elderly and disabled patients of medical cards to fund its ambitious plan to extend free GP care to children under the age of six.

The claims were made at the Irish Medical Organisation’s AGM where doctors queued at a packed meeting of GPs to question Junior Health Minister Alex White about his controversial plan.

Waterford GP Niall Macnamara asked how Mr White could “morally or ethically” justify taking cards “from the sick and the elderly”.