The campaign group Our Children's Health has expressed concern on Health Minister Leo Varadkar's apparent u-turn on the recent Government decision to grant medical cards based on people's medical needs.

The group, which has campaigned on the discretionary medical card issue, said the announcement in May to move to a system that will grant medical cards on the basis of serious medical need and not financial means alone was 'the most significant change in health policy in Ireland since the introduction of the 1970 Health Act itself'.

However, Our Children's Health says Minister Varadkar last Friday called this policy change and the work of the expert panel which is looking into the matter into question.

"His assertions appear to directly contradict assurances we have received personally from An Taoiseach and former Minister for Health, James Reilly," the campaign group says.

It says both the Taoiseach and former Health Minister Reilly had given assurances that a system whereby medical cards could be granted automatically to people with designated serious medical conditions would be introduced.

"Minister Varadkar's comments that a medical need based approach would be 'unrealistic' and 'very difficult' seriously undermines the ongoing work of the expert panel and signals a personal lack of commitment to follow through with implementation of stated government policy, as set out by An Taoiseach." Our Children's Health said.

It pointed out that the Government had established a panel of medical experts to determine a range of conditions that would automatically qualify for a medical card, and this panel had already received over 3,000 submissions from interest groups and members of the public.

The group fears that the new Minister's comments could indicate a desire to maintain the status quo on medical cards.

This, it says, is a system that 'fosters uncertainty, inequity and does not acknowledge in any way the severity of an illness and the impact it may have on a family'.

Our Children's Health it would be writing to the Taoiseach to seek immediate clarification on the matter and will also seek a meeting with Minister Varadkar.

From today the group said it will resume its daily presence outside the office of the Taoiseach from 7am, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - 'until such time as we receive written assurances that a medical need based system will be implemented as promised'.

Mr Varadkar has said it would be very difficult to create a 'hierarchy of illnesses under the new scheme. He said conditions such as overweight and obesity were considered to be illnesses, too, so there was a possibility of having to extend medical cards to almost the entire population, which would not be realistic.

The Minister said said he would make a decision onthe matter after the expert group reported back in September.

Our Children's Health, however, has stressed that at no point had it or any other group suggested that everybody in Ireland should be issued with a medical card.

"Such disingenuous references dismiss and blatantly ignore the concerns of parents dealing with the impact of a serious diagnosis for their child, and the strain the existing system puts them under. Indeed, it is current Government policy that is responsible for the significant increase in the overall numbers with medical cards, regardless of circumstances."