Cancer patient vows to keep fighting to end practice of reviewing medical cards of terminally ill patients
The man with terminal cancer who twice had his medical card revoked has said that his conversation with the HSE left "more questions than answers".
John Wall made headlines this week after taking to social media asking the HSE for an explanation as to why his medical card has been revoked twice since his diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer two years ago.
Mr Wall from Quin, Co Clare is entitled to a medical card without a means test as his condition is certified as incurable.
After his post on social media gained traction, the HSE responded and arranged to discuss his situation.
After terminal diagnosis I received an emergency medical card valid for 18 mths. @HSELive cancelled it after 6. Keep asking me to confirm terminal?
— 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡 (@walls2) July 20, 2019
Asking a dying man to confirm he's dying!
UNACCEPTABLE 😥#DYK the #HSE also recently altered card validity times?@SimonHarrisTD pic.twitter.com/SxEkt8R7FG
He got his medical card back, but Mr Wall wasn't completely satisfied with the conversation.
While stressing he appreciated getting the card back, insisted that the issue should have been "pretty easy " to resolve.
"As a result of their lack of interaction, it led to a lot of issues that I've uncovered over the last week or so," he said, speaking to Jonathan Healy on Newstalk's this morning
"There are now more questions than answers as a result of the conversations that I had with the HSE last Monday," he added.
"There is no transparency or accountability," he said of the HSE. "There are extreme changes being made unilaterally, and it would appear retrospectively, to a system that is already broken."
Before I head away!
— 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡 (@walls2) July 26, 2019
This mornings interview with @jonathanhealy on The @PatKennyNT Show, is worth a listen if only to hear Jonathan's synopsis of the @HSELive response.@SimonHarrisTD @roinnslainte
USE THE HASHTAG! #medicalcardscandalhttps://t.co/ASNsMnnw74 via @newstalkfm
Mr Wall explained that he initially lost the card after a "rigorous" means test.
The HSE this week clarified that all other patients issued with a card because of a terminal diagnosis will be reviewed after six months.
Mr Wall said he want to help other people who find themselves in a similar situation.
"I am their voice," he said.
This is not something I planned, however, it is something that has happened.
"I'll gladly accept that challenge.
"Because we have come so far, I'm not going to let go," he added.
The situation arose despite a promise by Leo Varadkar when he was health minister in 2014 that the practice of reviewing terminally ill patients would end.
