20,000 support assistance for seriously ill children

More than 20,000 people have signed a day-old petition calling for seriously ill children to be automatically given medical cards.

A family behind the newly formed Our Children’s Health initiative revealed public support from all areas of Ireland as they launched a bid to change the current, finance-focussed system.

Speaking at Buswells Hotel, Dublin, Kevin Shortall, whose nine-year-old daughter has fought a two-year battle to receive discretionary medical card help despite suffering leukaemia, said the vast majority of people want the legal change.