Cork councillors call for people with spinal injuries to get full medical cards
CorkmanIt’s “absolutely crazy” and “beyond belief” that people with spinal injuries aren’t entitled to full medical cards considering the serious ongoing expenses they face in managing their health needs, Cork councillors said this week.
At a meeting of Cork County Council, Cllr Deirdre Kelly brought forward a motion calling on the government to consider providing full medical cards to people living with spinal injuries who are currently means-tested.
“This motion was put forward some time ago by my colleague Councillor Deirdre O’Brien and I just want to highlight the matter again. A person with a spinal injury is not automatically entitled to a medical card as eligibility is primarily based on income. Persons living with spinal injuries often face lifelong and complex medical needs,” Cllr Kelly said.
The West Cork councillor said these include regular consultations with specialists, ongoing physiotherapy, pain management treatments, mental health supports, assistive technologies and frequent monitoring for secondary health complications.
“These essential services can impose significant and ongoing financial burdens on individuals and their families. A full medical card would help to remove cost barriers to necessary health care and support individuals in living independently and with dignity,” she said.
Cllr Kelly said that many people with spinal injuries fall outside the existing eligibility thresholds “despite having substantial medical requirements directly related to their disability. As a result, they may delay or forego vital treatment, which can lead to preventable deterioration in their health and increased long-term costs to the state.”
Cllr Ann Marie Ahern said it’s “beyond belief” that people with spinal injuries and other long-term conditions are means-tested, given the outgoings they face. “I've come across several cases recently of people with long term illnesses such as MS that are also being means-tested. And I think when someone is diagnosed with an illness that has a long-term impact on them, means-testing should actually be waved in any of those cases where treatment is on a daily and ongoing basis,” the East Cork councillor said.
Cllr Michael Hegarty also supported the motion and said that “it's absolutely crazy that people are not being afforded a full medical card. I think it's totally wrong.” Cllr John Michael Foley said his mother was confined to a wheelchair following an accident when he was a child “so a medical card would have been a huge, huge advantage to somebody in that case with four young children at the time and a husband trying to keep business going.”
The council agreed to write to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality and the relevant minister of state about the issue.