Age Action has warned that the sickest and poorest of older people will be amongst those hardest hit if the Government introduces a prescription charge for medical card holders.

Responding to comments made by Health Minister Mary Harney today that such a charge was one of the items on the table at the moment, the older people’s charity said this would fly in the face of the Government’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable in society.

“People have medical cards because they are either on very low incomes or have serious medical conditions that require expensive medication,” Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said. “This proposed charge would therefore hurt the poorest and sickest of people, including many older people.”

In addition to raising revenue for the Exchequer, the Minister said the charge per item prescribed would aim to discourage over-prescribing of medication. “Age Action agrees that over-prescribing and inappropriate prescribing is a problem in Ireland but the Minister needs to address this issue with the doctors who write the prescriptions, rather than hitting their patients,” Mr Timmins said. “The patient is not the person writing the prescription so by penalising them will do little to change prescribing practices.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT EAMON TIMMINS, HEAD OF ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS, AGE ACTION, 01-4756989 OR 087-9682449.