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The medical card scheme was administered by county councils until the newly created Health Boards took over in 1970; these in turn were replaced by the HSE in 2005. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Until the Irish financial crisis of 2008, persons aged over 70 were automatically entitled to free medical cards.
The only medical conditions carrying automatic entitlement to a card are having thalidomide syndrome, having a surgical symphysiotomy, and children with cancer. [8] Many political parties support extending the availability of the Medical Card to eventually cover every resident in Ireland – they currently cover 31.9% of the population. Those ...
The reduction in infant mortality between 1960 and 2008 for Ireland in comparison with France, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Life expectancy at birth in Ireland. In 2005: [4] [5] 47.6% of Ireland's population were covered by private health insurance, and 31.9% of the population were covered by Medical Cards.
The Irish health system has been involved in a number of serious health scandals, for example relating to cancer misdiagnoses in 2008. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] The HSE has also been the subject of criticism for cutbacks, service cancellations etc., but has indicated that it is making good progress in saving costs and achieving its required 'break-even ...
County Wicklow TD Joe Behan resigned from the Fianna Fáil party in protests at the proposed medical card changes. He, alongside two other government deputies, later voted against his former colleagues in two crucial Dáil votes on medical cards and cancer vaccines. These defections reduced the Irish government's majority of twelve by one quarter.
The Health Service Executive, responsible for Healthcare in the Republic of Ireland; Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom National Health Service) The existence of the two different systems is seen as a major obstacle to Irish unification by Social Democratic and Labour Party politicians.
Prior to the advent of the health board system, the Health Act 1947 was the principal legislation on the State's role in the provision of healthcare in Ireland; [2] this was the act that served as the legislative basis for the Mother and Child Scheme, which was later withdrawn under Church and medical opposition.
The council was established by the Medical Practitioners Act 1978 [2] and commenced operation in April 1979. [3] It replaced an earlier body, the Medical Registration Council, which had been established under the provisions of the Medical Practitioners Act 1927, [4] and which took over certain functions from the General Medical Council (the medical regulator for the United Kingdom).