IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter
The HSE will reissue medical cards sent to Magdalene survivors after complaints they identified the women as having been in a laundry.
The cards, issued in the last few days to survivors under the State’s redress scheme, identify the holder as a member of the Magdalene redress scheme.
The card is headed with “Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act, 2015” with the hol- der assigned an RWRCI number.
Survivors would have had to produce the card when seeking certain services they are entitled to.
A number of women were deeply upset by the cards with some fearing they would be forced to travel to avail of services under the scheme to conceal their past institutionalisation.
However, in a statement issued yesterday evening, mental health minister Kathleen Lynch said she had asked the HSE to reissue the cards and said they were not intended to cause offence or embarrassment to survivors.
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