The Government has decided to suspend all reviews of discretionary medical cards, following months of controversy over patients with serious illnesses and disabilities having their cards reviewed, downgraded or removed.

In a statement today, the Department of Health said the Government was 'very aware of the public concern in relation to the issue of medical cards'.

The Department said the HSE Director General had been instructed to suspend all reviews of medical cards where discretion had been exercised to take account of medical circumstances.

The HSE and the Government had until recently been defending these medical card reviews.

However in recent weeks, a senior HSE official and Government Ministers had been critical of the way some reviews were being carried out in cases where discretionary cards were held by people who were seriously ill or disabled.

It was reported that in some reviews, patients were being asked whether they still had life-long illnesses or disabilities.

The HSE earlier this week claimed that in some cases people were 'misconstruing' requests for up to date medical information where eligibility for cards were being reviewed.