Magdalene Laundries Women to Receive Free Health Care under New Legislation

By Mark Hilliard
Irish Times
December 13, 2014

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/magdalene-laundries-women-to-receive-free-health-care-under-new-legislation-1.2036367

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald published a Bill providing free medical care for survivors of Magdalene laundries. Photograph: Alan Betson

Free medical care will be provided to survivors of the Magdalene laundries in new legislation ushering in the next phase of a Government support package as recommended in the Quirke Report.

Under the scheme the women will be entitled to GP care, prescription medicines, nursing and home-help.

The Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014 was published by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald on Friday.

Other care provided by the HSE under the legislation will include dental, ophthalmic, aural, counselling, chiropody and physiotherapy services.

The HSE will also deal “on an administrative basis” with arrangements for equivalent health services for participants living abroad, the Department of Justice has said.

To date almost ˆ18 million in redress payments have been made to 488 applicants.

The ex-gratia scheme covers 10 laundries which were the subject of the McAleese report, as well as St Mary’s training centre, Stanhope Street and the House of Mercy training school in Summerhill, Wexford.

By last June, 71 of 754 applicants to the scheme had been rejected on the basis they did not attend those specific institutions.

Commenting on the publication of the Bill, Ms Fitzgerald said “the Government has committed to implementing all of the recommendations made by Mr Justice Quirke in his report on the Magdalene laundries. The Bill . . . marks the next phase of implementation, addressing a number of issues which require changes in legislation.”

It is not clear when the legislation will come into force, with Ms Fitzgerald saying she hoped that it would be expeditious.