Huge rise in medical cards prior to elections

There was a dramatic rise in the number of discretionary medical cards given out in the two months before the local and European elections, with a rise of 1,800 in May and 800 in April.

This spike followed a year of consistent reductions in the number of discretionary cards in circulation, ranging from 500 to 1,000 a month, bringing the total reduction to around 13,000 from January 2013 to March 2014.

Figures provided by Health Minister James Reilly in response to a Dáil question show an increase of 779 cards in circulation in April and a further massive rise of 1,857 in May.