TDs are part of the medical card problem

THE low take-up of the doctor-only medical cards surely can’t be due to a lack of demand, given that your local GP might well charge you €50 for a 5-10 minute visit to the surgery.

Rather it suggests we have a major problem in the way rights and benefits are delivered in this country. The self-interest of politicians seems to lie at the heart of the problem.

There are key flaws in the system. Firstly, TDs have voted themselves large allowances to run constituency clinics at times and places of their own choosing, instead of adequately investing in professionally-staffed information and support services at local level.