Cllr Sheppard Welcomes Medical card for cancer patient under 18

This will provide some comfort to young patients and their families, says FG Councillor Sinead Sheppard.

Fine Gael Councillor Sinead Sheppard has welcomed news that from today, July 1st, children under 18 with a cancer diagnosis will be issued with a medical card for five years.

“This move is retrospective, which means that any child who has had a cancer diagnosis in the past five years will also be entitled to a medical card. I welcome this development and am sure that this will provide comfort for these young patients and their families.

“The worry and trauma of dealing with the cancer diagnosis of a child is difficult enough for any family without having to worry about access to health care or paying for medication. Last November the HSE took a number of steps to improve the operation of the medical card system, particularly for people with significant medical needs. Amongst the steps announced was the establishment of a Clinical Advisory Group who made the recommendation to introduce this relief.

“Today is also the day that free GP care for under sixes comes into effect. Over 79,000 children have been signed up already with 84% of doctors across the country registered to take part. I am hopeful that this figure will continue to rise so that parents of young children can stay with their family GP. The more GPs that participate in the scheme, the better the service will be,” she concluded.