Medical card charges waived for asylum seekers on €19 a week in direct provision

Asylum seekers living in direct provision in Ireland will no longer have to pay the prescription charge for medical cards.

The charge is €2.50 per item and some asylum seekers with chronic health issues had been required to pay this out of an allowance of just over €19 a week.

Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, said that the exemption to the charge will relieve some of the financial burden on those in direct provision.