asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the expenditure cuts of £23.3 million in the health non-capital estimates announced by the Government in the budget statement of the Minister for Finance; and where exactly and to what extent the reductions will be made.
Written Answers. - Health Cuts.
188.
The expenditure reductions of £23.3 million to be realised in the Health non-capital estimate for 1983 are to be achieved as follows:—
|
£(M) |
|
|
Savings on General Medical Services |
7.5 |
|
Modification of the drugs refund scheme |
5.0 |
|
Savings on institutional services |
5.0 |
|
Savings on drugs geneally |
4.0 |
|
Winding up of National Community Development Agency |
1.8 |
|
Total |
23.3 |
189.
asked the Minister for Health how he plans to effect the cut of £2 million in the health capital programme announced in the recent budget.
I am at present reviewing the entire capital programme of my Department in the context of the revised allocation and while I am not prepared to make a definitive statement at this time the impact of the reduction on the programme will have little import for projects and input which are essential to maintain and improve the fabric of the service.
190.
asked the Minister for Health how he plans to modify the drugs refund scheme to reduce the cost of the scheme in 1983 to £8 million, as announced in the budget.
The cost of the scheme will be contained within the limit mentioned by increasing the base figure of £16 and by the implementation of measures which will shortly be discussed with the various organisations concerned.
191.
asked the Minister for Health the institutional health services he plans to cut in order to make an additional saving of £5 million over and above the published estimates as announced in the recent budget.
It is proposed to achieve the additional savings of £5 million on health boards' institutional services and on services provided in voluntary and corporate body general hospitals.
192.
asked the Minister for Health if he will revise the criteria which apply to old age pensioners to ensure that pensioners on lower incomes who have had their automatic entitlement removed will have their medical cards restored.
Medical cards are issued to persons who are unable, without undue hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for themselves and their dependants. In deciding on the issue of medical cards, the chief executive officer of each health board must, therefore, have regard to the means of the applicant and to his or her family circumstances.
To help the chief executive officer in deciding applications for medical cards and to ensure equality of treatment between the different health board areas, national income guidelines have been adopted. These are the criteria which apply to the issue of medical cards. These were revised with effect from 1 January 1983 and it is not intended to revise them again until the position has been reviewed towards the end of 1983.
Pensioners who are on lower incomes, that is whose incomes fall within the guidelines, continue to have eligibility for medical cards. These include, for example, all non-contributory old age pensioners whose only source of income is that pension.
Other pensioners, who have recently been issued with medical cards without a means test, are now being given an opportunity to establish their entitlement on the basis of their means as they relate to the income guidelines. No medical card will be withdrawn without giving the holder every opportunity of establishing entitlement.