The Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed that people who have already lost their medical cards will not be able to get them back.

It has stopped the review of discretionary medical cards after the government decided to change the criteria under which they are awarded.

But the HSE says a law change would be needed for people who have already lost their cards to get them back.

The junior health minister Alex White says the government needs to admit it got it wrong taking cards off people in the first place.

Minister White was speaking as he launched his campaign to become leader of the Labour Party and a day after the government froze the process of reviewing discretionary medical cards.

He says the Cabinet probably did not realise the impact of the decision it was making.

Earlier, Down Syndrome Ireland called on the government to restore all medical cards that have been removed from people over the past two years.

There has been public outcry in recent months over reviews of whether medical card holders are actually eligible for the card.

On Wednesday, the Ombudsman said he had received a 'substantial number' of complaints in relation to medical cards this year so far. 

The annual report for 2013 showed that the Office of the Ombudsman received 491 complaints last year relating to the Department of Social Protection.