The number of medical card holders in the State is continuing to fall, with the latest figures showing that 2,085 individuals and families had their medical cards removed last month.
The figures, compiled by the General Medical Services (Payments) Board, show that more than half those who lost medical cards between November and December 2004 lived in the former Eastern Regional Health Authority region. A total of 964 family units had their medical cards removed last month.
The figures indicate that 1,419 medical cards were taken from people living in the eastern region. A further 830 were taken from people in the north-west, 635 from people in the south- east and 266 from people living in the north-east.
However, in some regions medical card eligibility increased. In the midlands an extra 357 medical cards were handed out last month. Extra cards were also granted to 349 people in the south, 306 people in the west and 49 people in the mid-west.
The Department of Health stresses that eligibility fluctuates as people's circumstances change. However, over the whole of last year more than 9,000 people were wiped off medical card lists.
Some 769,176 family units are now covered by medical cards, and the total number of people with free medical cover in the State stands at 1.148 million, some 28.4 per cent of the population. This figure includes non-means tested over-70s medical card holders.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, promised in the budget to extend medical card eligibility to a further 30,000 people this year. This announcement came amid sustained criticism over the fact that the number of low-income medical card holders had dropped by over 200,000 since the Government came to power in 1997, and claims that many families were neglecting their health because they could not afford to visit a doctor. Ms Harney also promised to hand out 200,000 new "doctor-only" cards to entitle recipients to free GP visits only.
But yesterday it emerged it may be April before any of the doctor-only cards are given out. Ms Harney told the This Week programme on RTÉ Radio 1 that she was discussing with her Department how to make the cards available.
"The 200,000 cards will require, I understand now from my Department, perhaps a change in legislation. That will be done very quickly," she said.
"Hopefully it will be in place in April, that would be my intention."