Tears are not enough to resolve medical card fiasco

Health Minister James Reilly has a tendency to get emotionally involved in the plight of others and can turn on the waterworks with the frequency of Eamon Dunphy. Fortunately for him, the Government has no proposals at present to install water meters on our tear ducts.

For all his perceived failings as a minister, at least he comes across as sensitive and humane. Personally I like that about him and see it as a strength rather than a weakness. However, it does make his department's shambolic handling of the discretionary medical cards fiasco all the more difficult to understand.

•Face in the crowd: Minister for Health, James Reilly. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

After the coalition parties received a right old kicking in the recent local and European elections, the penny finally dropped. There appeared to be a sudden realisation that the electorate didn't approve of medical cards being removed from some of the most vulnerable members of society.

The Government's response to public outrage seemed to be: "Really, you didn't like it when we did that? Why didn't you say something? If only we had known."

The Taoiseach himself announced that the callous cull would be suspended and ordered an immediate review of the eligibility criteria for entitlement to cards to be based on specific medical conditions rather than household income. It was expected that this review would be finalised in a matter of months, ending the misery and uncertainty for those with lifelong illnesses or disabilities.

Maybe - just maybe - this Government was starting to cop itself on.

But not exactly. Minister Reilly has since announced that discretionary medical cards will now be restored to over 15,000 people. Quite rightly, he apologised to those with serious illnesses who had been affected. This, he said, was an "unintended consequence" of the decision to centralise the processing of cards in 2011. On this occasion the Minister managed to keep the tears at bay but his apology sounded sincere.

But this good news was tempered by Reilly's refusal to entertain the notion of compensation for those who had their medical cards taken away. He was quoted as saying that the decision to remove the cards had been made "validly and legally".

Perhaps, Minister - but what about morally?

Minister Reilly also revealed that while the expert group tasked with reviewing the criteria for eligibility of medical cards was expected to report by the autumn, legislation on the matter was unlikely to be enacted until 2015.

The Government's U-turn on medical cards is to be welcomed but kicking the legislation on new eligibility into next year has taken the fizz out of the announcement. If only the health and wellbeing of our nation could be treated with the same urgency as the banking crisis was in September 2008.