Group wants medical cards for polio survivors

A support group for polio victims has called on the Government to provide financial assistance to people who contracted the disease in Ireland between the 1930s and 1960s.

The Post Polio Support Group (PPSG) said up to 7,200 polio survivors are living in Ireland and most are still facing debilitating symptoms connected with the disease.

PPSG said it wanted such people to be automatically provided with medical cards.

It has also called for polio to be included in the Department of Health’s long-term illness list.