BETWEEN 50 and 70 per cent of the population in parts of the Eastern Health Board region hold medical cards, according to the board's CEO, Mr Kieran Hickey. This compares with under 30 per cent for the region as a whole, which is close to average.
Mr Hickey was speaking as he formally presented the board's 1995 annual report to its chairwoman, Ms Roisin Shortall TD. This is the board's first annual report. Next year they will be mandatory for all health boards.
The Eastern Board is by far the biggest in terms of population and budget. The population was 1,245,225, about a third of the population of the State in the 1991 census. Mr Hickey stressed that the Eastern Health Board region, which covers not only the Greater Dublin area, but also counties Kildare and Wicklow, includes some of the areas of greatest social deprivation.
This is indicated, not only by the medical card take up, but by the numbers availing of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme. This amounted to 95,340 in 1995, one in four of all children in the region.
The board spent more than £500 million in 1995. Of this, £70,800,000 was spent on the General Medical Services scheme (GP services for medical card holders) and £85,151,168 on the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, a range of special allowances which supplement social welfare.
Of the remainder, just over £111 million was spent on general and special hospitals. The amount spent on general hospital care is disproportionately low because most hospitals in the Dublin area are voluntary and therefore do not come under the control of the board. The three general hospitals run by the board are the James Connolly Memorial hospital in Blanchardstown, St Colmcille's hospital in Loughlinstown, Co Dublin and the Naas General hospital, Co Kildare.
The board's special hospital services, for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped, involve 4,969 out patient clinics and 97 community residences. The board is continuing to transfer acute psychiatric care from traditional psychiatric institutions to special units in general hospitals.
The community care services of the board, which include childcare, family support and services for the elderly, cost £156 million in 1995.
Ms Short all warned that the most recent demographic information showed the increase in the number of elderly people in the region was set to outstrip all predictions. In 1995 the board adopted a four year plan on the provision of services for the elderly, she said.
The board's central services, including customer services, cost £16 million.