Individuals with spinal cord injuries should have permanent medical cards, says support group

The State’s system of determining eligibility for medical cards based on a person’s means rather than their needs is “inhuman”, “arbitrary” and is “delaying and denying” people’s access to treatment, Spinal Injuries Ireland has said.

The organisation called in its pre-budget submission for the Government to designate spinal cord injury (SCI) as a “long-term and permanent condition” and to extend medical card eligibility to anyone who has an SCI on a permanent basis.

The Government should “scrap the maximum three-year term for a medical card”, the group said on Wednesday, adding that the current eligibility approach was “inhuman”, delaying and denying access treatment, and causing stress and financial hardship to those living with an SCI.

Those that do secure a medical card must live in a “constant state of fear and worry about the consequences of losing their cards”, while those without medical cards experience even deeper levels of fear and financial stress, notes the pre-budget submission.

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The eligibility process for securing a medical card is “arbitrary” and can badly affect the lives of those seeking to return to work, said the organisation, which provides support to the more than 2,200 people in Ireland living with a spinal injury.

The charity estimates three people sustain a spinal cord injury every week in Ireland, with some of these losing the ability to walk and also losing arm or hand function. This “life-changing” injury leaves individuals and their families faced with the financial burden of paying for medical care, bowel and bladder care and specialist equipment, such as motorised chairs, bed hoists and adaptations to their homes, said the group.

“Our number one priority is the permanent provision of medical cards based on need,” said Fiona Bolger, chief executive of Spinal Injuries Ireland. “A spinal cord injury should be classified as a long-term and permanent condition, similar to diabetes or epilepsy. It is a life-changing condition and anyone living with it is also at risk of developing secondary conditions that can be debilitating and even life-threatening.”

“In many cases people with an SCI are unable to return to their former employment,” she said. “Spouses, family members or partners commonly give up their employment to provide them with homecare. There is a huge loss of family income and it is estimated 25 per cent of those with an SCI live below the poverty line.”