‘Significant’ delay in HSE report could stall medical card changes for terminal patients

Handover documents from the former health minister Simon Harris to the new minister Stephen Donnelly cited Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay, but campaigners say changes need to happen 'sooner rather than later'. Picture: Julien Behal

A “significant” delay in recommendations on how people with a terminal illness can access medical cards could be stalled by up to a year unless a HSE Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) report is published before the upcoming budget in October.

Campaigner and patient advocate John Wall has questioned the “hold-up” in completing the CAG report on medical cards for patients with a terminal illness, which was due for completion in February.