HSE: Medical card numbers will not be limited

The Health Service Executive has said that there will be no cap on the issuing of medical cards for the rest of 2011.

The executive was responding to the leak of a draft document looking at possible options for cuts, due to its budget over-run.

The draft document also proposes cuts in home help hours of 24%, and the reduction of personal assistant hours by 61%, between now and the end of the year.