Three year old toddler with brain tumor, has Medical Card taken by the HSE – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Three year old toddler with brain tumor, has Medical Card taken by the HSE




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A three year old toddler who is battling a brain tumour has been left without a medical card, even though her mother was told she would have one until June 2015.

Aoife Keogh, from Blessington Co, Wicklow who was diagnosed with a brain tumour last May has had her medical card taken from her.

Carly Keogh, Aoife’s mother has said that she was relieved when she was issued with a medical card, a short while after diagnosis, for two years to cover the duration of the toddler’s treatment.

“We were awarded the card for two years because her chemotherapy will go to 2015.
“But, six months later, I received a review form for it, and it was a bit odd,” said Ms Keogh.
stopped.

Ms Keogh wrote to the HSE in December saying that they held all of her information and even though it was “quite stressful,” at the moment she could re-apply if necessary.

“They had all of our details and the back-up documentation, so I wrote them a letter in December to explain that and told them that it was quite stressful at the moment, and that I could apply again if they really needed it,” explained Ms Keogh.

In January, Ms Keogh received a letter from the HSE stating that the card was valid until June 2015.

Ms Keogh said she then did not return the review forms based on the letter she received assuming that the issue had been resolved.

Believing the matter had been resolved, Ms Keogh went to a chemist last April to use the medical card and was informed by the pharmacist on duty that it was no longer valid.

The mother of-three went on to state the card was, “stopped without warning.”
Ms Keogh then contacted the HSE about the situation following the incident in the pharmacist.

“When I rang them they had no record of sending me the letter in January,” she said.

Ms Keogh who had not filled in the review forms when she received them last December because of the letter in January saying the card was valid for another 18 months -returned the forms two weeks ago but is waiting to hear back from the HSE.

The review forms had been due back by March. Ms Keogh said that the filling in of the forms is “quite time consuming and stressful.”

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