Kids will suffer because of medical card cuts

by Pat Flanagan from the Irish Mirrior:
Head of Down Syndrome Ireland backs our campaign to change law for children's health

The law must be changed or all children with Down Syndrome will not receive a medical card, it was claimed on Wednesday.
The head of Down Syndrome Ireland said the practice of awarding cards on the basis of a child’s financial situation – not the state of their health – must stop.
The Irish Mirror is campaigning to have the 1970 Act changed to allow all children with the condition to receive a medical card.
At present, even youngsters who are severely ill cannot get a card if their parents are earning as little as €5 over the cut-off limit.
Down Syndrome Ireland boss Pat Clarke said HSE officials, who have asked if children with the condition have got better, are totally out of touch.
He insisted: “The law needs to be changed and we’ve been asking for this for some time.
“Many, many years ago there were the county medical officer in each region who looked at each individual case and would know these individual people and be able to assess the medical condition all these children with Down Syndrome had.

In Ireland, half of children with Down syndrome 'at risk of losing vital aid'

from Irish Independent:

Up to half of the country’s children with Down’s syndrome are at risk of losing their discretionary medical cards, a leading advocacy group has revealed.

Down Syndrome Ireland says that hundreds of children with the disability have already lost the medical benefit.
It also believes that children with Down’s syndrome will not receive discretionary medical cards – based on health needs rather than income - at birth.
Around 2,000 children under the age of 16 are estimated to have the condition in Ireland.
While the HSE hasn’t furnished figures on the number of children with Down’s syndrome who have lost their card, it says those who are not entitled to the cards are having them withdrawn.
Pat Clarke, CEO of Down Syndrome Ireland said “we would feel that 1,000 children are at risk”.
“This adds an additional burden to parents for both doctors fees and prescriptions.”
“Where there are people with Down Syndrome, there are a lot of attendant costs that aren’t taken into account like babysitting services or the fact that one parent may have to give up their job.”
“We have received correspondence from almost 150 parents who are worried about this, and we’re trying to advise them on what they can do,” he said.
Parents can appeal the decision, Mr Clarke said, and the advocacy group is now advising them on how to do so.
At the Dail’s Public Accounts Committee on November 14, HSE officials could not provide answers to questions on how many of the 6,324 discretionary medical cards removed following review, were from children with Down’s syndrome.