MND Medical Cards

The Right to a Medical Card

“I hate the way Motor Neurone Disease is taking my life bit by bit,” Paul Lannon

“At  this  stage  of my  existence  I have  nothing to lose, I intend  going  as  far  as  it takes to change this situation, even if it means chaining myself to the railing of Leinster  House,” Brenda Maguire

“All you can do is try to cope with every challenge this illness throws at us and there are many. It is relentless,” Jan Battles

“At times we have felt very alone. Extended family have done their best to help but they have their own families to care for. One saving grace we can be thankful for is the IMNDA,” Shane Kelly

“This most cruel disease has taken with it the use of my upper and lower limbs. It has also taken my voice,” Emma Fitzpatrick

There are over 310 people living with MND in Ireland. There are more than 310 stories and 310 families battling this disease.  75% of people die within the first 3 years of diagnosis, within 1000 days.

What would you do with 1000 days if that was all you had left to live? Would you spend it fighting for your life? Then imagine having to fight tooth and nail for every service, any bit of help that could make life for those 1000 days a little bit better. The medical card situation needs to change. We urge Dr James Reilly and our Taoiseach Enda Kenny to fulfil their promise to fix this situation.

“Motor Neurone Disease is an incurable, terminal, degenerative, life limiting disease and is categorised as a neurological illness along with other conditions such as MS and Parkinson’s. Yet those with MND are not entitled to receive any type of medical card on this basis and having just been diagnosed with an incurable disease are then subjected to mandatory means testing.

The IMNDA strongly advocates that all patients in Ireland with a terminal illness are treated equally and fairly, and we would urgently call on the Minister of Health to clarify the situation and that the MND community are granted a fast track and automatic access to the medical card”, Aisling Farrell, CEO IMNDA.