The Health Minister is rejecting claims that there is now a campaign to reduce the number of medical cards.

It comes after figures revealed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) show massive drops in the number of cards issued last year over this year. But James Reilly says the high numbers for last year are down to the clearing of a massive backlog.

However he has also admitted that they got the communications wrong on the issue of the review of medical cards.

The HSE has also launched a communications strategy to try to clear up any confusion about who is eligible for a medical card following Budget 2014.

It follows concerns that many people feared they would no longer qualify for a card so the Health Minister ordered the HSE to enhance its information to the public.

Changes in the Budget included tighter eligibility for the over-70s, for people coming off unemployment benefit and for people who the government believes should no longer qualify for a medical card.

Assistant National Director with the HSE Patrick Burke says they have to be thorough with how the criteria is applied.

"What in effect we are doing is we are giving someone a medical credit card - that medical credit card is free for that individual, by and large" he said.

"But - in essence - that medical credit card can run up 5, 10, 20, 50,000 of expenditure - so from a control perspective, from an accountability perspective, it's important...that we have some trial in terms of that person's eligibility" he added.

Paul Connors from the HSE says they have also changed how letters are written to make them easier to understand.