Sir, – As a GP, I was not surprised to read of the "mess", as Paul Cullen describes it, surrounding the medical card scheme ("Confusion still reigns over medical card mess", Home News, June 5th).
Would all politicians stop promising things they cannot give with regard to healthcare and free GP care? There are huge costs involved in terms of money and staff. Are people prepared to pay far higher taxes for all these “new” medical cards covering as yet unspecified conditions? I can already hear the calls to Joe Duffy from people with medical conditions not recommended for coverage by the “expert” group.
And would the Department of Health and HSE kindly stop making long-term medical policy “on the hoof”. – Yours, etc,
Dr STEPHEN MULVEY,
Main Street,
Dundrum,
Dublin 14.