Medical Card from The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme

The HSE provide medical cards to certain individuals in Ireland based on eligibility. As part of the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, Government has approved the provision of health services and supports (sometimes referred to as “enhanced medical card”) in certain specific circumstances. The medical card provided to applicants of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is an example of this, in acknowledgement of circumstances experienced while resident in relevant institutions.

If you are an applicant to the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme you may qualify for the medical card if you meet certain criteria. For example, if you spent 180 days or more in a relevant institution. Once an application is made to the Payment Scheme, eligibility for the medical card will be assessed. If you qualify for the medical card this will be notified to you on a Notice of Determination. Once you accept your award, the Payment Scheme will inform the HSE of your eligibility for the medical card. The HSE will then issue the medical card directly to you.

The medical card provided by the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme works in the same way as a medical card that is provided by the HSE based on means or age, providing an entitlement to the same services except the card provided under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is a life-long, non-means tested card. The medical card provides an entitlement to the following:

• General Practitioner (GP) services

• Approved prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances

• All inpatient public hospital services in a public ward (including consultant services)

• All outpatient public hospital services in a public ward (including consultant services)

• Maternity and infant care services

• Certain dental/ophthalmic and aural services – please contact your HSE local office

• No prescription charges (for the person named on the card only)

• Home nursing - please contact your HSE local office

• Home support - please contact your HSE local office

• Counselling (following a referral made in that regard by a registered medical practitioner or registered nurse)

• Chiropody/podiatry (following a referral made in that regard by a registered medical practitioner or registered nurse)

• Physiotherapy (following a referral made in that regard by a registered medical practitioner or registered nurse)

You must notify the Eligibility Unit, HSE (phone: 0818 22 44 78) immediately of any change in circumstances, such as a change of address. You should show this card every time you visit your doctor, pharmacist or any other health service covered by your Medical Card.

As the card is a lifelong, non-means tested card, the HSE will automatically issue a new one to you after 10 years.

Yes. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme medical card is provided on a lifelong basis and is not subject to ongoing means testing. It entitles the holder to access all services in the medical card scheme with the extra addition of exemption from prescription charges. Therefore, even if you already have a general medical card, the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme medical card will be more beneficial to you if you are deemed eligible for this card.

Please note, if you are provided with a Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme medical card by the HSE and already hold a general medical card, your general medical card will be cancelled by the HSE in favour of your new card and will no longer be usable.

If you accept an offer from the Payment Scheme and this includes a medical card, we will notify the HSE about this and they will issue the medical card to you directly.

The medical card for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme looks the same as a general medical card. It will not be known to anyone looking at the card that it has been provided to you as a benefit from the Payment Scheme.

In order for the HSE to be able to issue a medical card to you, they will require you to have a PPSN, an address in Ireland, and you will need to be linked to a registered GP in Ireland. If you do not live in Ireland, and/or cannot provide an address in Ireland, the medical card from the Payment Scheme will not be of any value to you as it can only be used in Ireland. If you live abroad, you may wish to instead opt for the once off Health Support Payment of €3,000 in lieu of the medical card to use towards your own individual health needs.

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme medical card does not carry an advantage regarding waiting times for services. Services within the HSE are prioritised on clinical need and resource availability.

You should contact your Local Health Office, who will advise you on your entitlements. There may be extra costs not covered under the medical card scheme.

The link below will bring you to the HSE website and the list of HSE local health offices.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/lho/

An attribute will be added to your medical card details on the HSE system. Your pharmacy will have access to your card details and will know that you are exempt but will not know why you are exempt and will not be given this information. You do not need to disclose this information if questioned by your pharmacy.

Your GP of choice must hold a General Medical Services contract with the HSE to provide Medical Card services. Please contact your local health office for lists of dentist and other health professionals who accept medical card holders.

The link below will bring you to the HSE website and the list of HSE local health offices.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/lho/