Our Children's Health slams HSE for denying seriously ill children medical cards

Our Children's Health, an organisation campaigning for seriously ill children to be granted medical cards, has spoken out about the 'flawed medical system' following the recent story of Lucy O'Connor, who was diagnosed with B-cell Lymphona in September, but refused a medical card on the grounds that her parents were over the means limit.

Kevin Shortall from the organisation commiserated with the O' Connor family over their difficulties, saying: "No parent should have to go public with their story. Sadly, Lucy's terrible story isn't the first, but it was bound to happen."

Keen to acknowledge that no one single person is to blame, Kevin goes on to say: "The deciding officers are not sinister people who have no regard for sick children, it's the fact that it's a flawed system, with no mechanism to take into account medical need, which is what we have been campaigning for."

Kevin has personal experience of the heartache faced by families following a serious diagnosis ,as he and his wife had to battle with officials to be allowed to keep a medical card following their son's Leukaemia diagnosis.

Commenting on the subject, the HSE acknowledged that reforms are needed, saying: "The HSE is undergoing a thorough root and branch reform of both the application process and the systems for dealing with medical cards issued on discretionary basis."

Our Children's Health welcomes these developments, with Kevin saying: "Change is needed,and the quicker, the better."