HSE: Those who have lost medical cards will not get them back

The HSE has confirmed that people who have already lost their medical cards will not be able to get them back.

It is freezing its review of discretionary medical cards after the Government decided to change the criteria under which cards are awarded.

The HSE said the law would need to be changed if people who have already lost their cards are to get them back.

The Junior Health Minister Alex White said the Government needed to admit that it got it wrong with the plans to withdraw the cards in the first instance.

"These decisions are made in Cabinet at budget time," he said, "and I think the Government has to take responsibility for not acting as quickly as it ought to have done to the likely impact of these budgetary policies on ordinary people."