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	<span style="color:#000000;">A devoted mum has told how her 12-year-old daughter with&nbsp;Down Syndrome&nbsp;has had her full medical card axed.</span></h2>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Karen North (48) from Bettystown, Co Meath, said that she was informed her daughter Eve&#39;s medical card was being replaced with a GP visit card just last month.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Mum-of-three Karen said that while GP visits will be covered, the family will now have to pay for items that were traditionally covered, including Eve&#39;s glasses, the orthodontic treatment that she is facing into and the special orthopaedic shoes she requires.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">She will also now have to pay out for any medicines that Eve may need.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;"><strong><u>FUTURE</u></strong></span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">&quot;Potentially, it could easily cost me thousands a year. And there are so many cases of kids around the country in the same boat,&quot; she said.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">The full medical card was issued on a discretionary basis and Eve had it since she was a baby -- Karen had to submit a medical certificate to confirm her diagnosis of&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1em;">Down Sy</span><span style="font-size: 1em;">ndrome</span>.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Karen told the Herald that she was &quot;incensed&quot; at the decision to take away Eve&#39;s medical card, following a review.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">&quot;Having a chid with a disability was always recognised. You got that comfort that medical care would be covered, and her disability was recognised in that way by the system.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">&quot;Looking to the future, you assumed that she would always have that care.&quot;</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">She said the Government is is targeting vulnerable people with cuts.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Down Syndrome Ireland said it has heard of almost 100 children who have had their discretionary cards withdrawn in the last 12 months -- but believes at least double this number could be affected. It has launched a campaign to stop the &quot;cruel&quot; withdrawal of discretionary medical cards from children.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">A flash survey conducted by the charity this week has revealed almost 100 children have had their discretionary medical cards withdrawn despite the manifold, co-existing conditions that children with Down Syndrome suffer from.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">About half of all people with Down Syndrome are born with a heart defect while gastrointestinal conditions are also commonly associated with Down Syndrome as are certain types of cancer, hearing loss, cervical spine instability and visual impairment.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Most children with Down Syndrome attend weekly&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1em;">speech and language </span><span style="font-size: 1em;">therapy</span>&nbsp;sessions, the cost of which doubles with the loss of medical cards. Weekly&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1em;">occupatio</span><span style="font-size: 1em;">nal therapy</span>&nbsp;sessions also cost in the region of &iquest;50.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">Chief executive officer of Down Syndrome Ireland, Pat Clarke, said: &quot;This is causing untold misery and hardship.</span></p>
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		<span style="color:#000000;">&quot;We are hearing about many cases of children who are profoundly deaf, have serious medical needs, and require substantial daily care, having their medical card revoked.&quot;</span></p>
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		<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mum-incensed-as-medical-card-taken-off-down-syndrome-child-29696587.html"><span style="color:#000000;">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mum-incensed-as-medical-card-taken-off-down-syndrome-child-29696587.html</span></a></p>
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