Varadkar: No medical card guarantees

Health Minister Leo Varadkar says he cannot guarantee medical cards for people with serious conditions, such as cancer, until an expert group reports on the issue.

Speaking as he called together managers of 50 acute hospitals to discuss the funding crisis in the health service, Mr Varadkar insisted he would need to get Cabinet approval before any moves on medical cards.

“I can’t make any guarantees about anything until I’ve seen that report and had a chance to bring it to Cabinet.