The health system is failing many people who have undergone life-saving transplants by withdrawing their medical cards and leaving them unable to afford the vital drugs that they need.

According to Michael McHugh, chairman of the Sligo branch of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) and himself a kidney transplant recipient, medication is essential after a person has undergone this procedure.

"The body sees the new organ as a foreign object and will try to reject it. Medication is necessary to stop this from happening and these meds must be taken for the rest of a person's life," he said.

Transplant patients with medical cards pay a maximum of €25 per month for their medication. However, if they do not have a medical card, they have to obtain drugs under the Drug Payment Scheme, which means they must pay the first €144 of the cost of their medication per month.

This means that if a person loses their medical card, their annual drug bill jumps from €300 to €1,728, and that does not take into account other costs they may have, such as GP fees.

"With something like kidney disease, progression can be slow and a person may not have worked for some years before their transplant, making them eligible for a medical card.

"After a transplant, one-third of people will return to work and these are the people being hit, having their medical cards taken away. It is very unfair," he insisted.

He said that at a local level, he has been contacted by 13 or 14 people in this situation and nationally, the figure ‘is rising week on week'.

Some are trying to make their current meds last longer by, for example, taking them only once a day when they should be taking them twice a day.

He pointed out that this will inevitably cause major health problems for the people involved, but will also ‘clog up the hospital system'.

"The most a person should have to attend hospital after a successful transplant is four times a year. However if people are having problems with their meds, it could be once or even twice a month. This will clog up the hospital system and means that all of the amazing work done by doctors, nurses, transplant coordinators and the IKA, is undone," he added.

For more on this, see our feature here

Organ Donor Awareness Week is due to take place from March 29 to April 5. Organ donor cards can be obtained from the IKA by calling 1890 543 639 or by texting the word DONOR to 50050. Texts are free of charge.

Information on organ donation is also available in pharmacies, GP surgeries and citizen information offices.