Almost half of population holds medical card

on 13/02/2013 08:16:43

Nearly half of the population is in receipt of a medical card.

According to HSE figures in today's Irish Examiner, GP-only and full medical cards now number around two million and will cost taxpayers €2.5bn this year.

There has been a rise of 38% in the number of people in receipt of the cards in the last four years.

Fine Gael senator and spokesperson for health in the Seanad Colm Burke said the Government was tackling the issue so that only those who needed medical and GP cards received them.

"I had someone into me who had a medical card for the previous three years and when he went to renew it, he didn't qualify," he said

"But when I looked at the figures, he was actually €300 over the qualifying criteria but still had the medical card for a period of three years.

"What the Government have done by centralising the service is to make sure the rules are being applied."