Written Answers Nos. 623-632
623. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if there are vacancies in a service (details supplied); if so, the length of time the vacancy has been there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17656/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
624. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health to outline what engagement has taken place with other Departments to discuss supports that can be made available to healthcare workers with long- Covid who are unable to return to employment; if discussion has taken place with the Department of Public Expenditure National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to extend the special scheme while new supports can be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17670/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible
625. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of concerns raised by HSE home support service workers who fear the recruitment freeze in the health service is accelerating the privatisation of home support services; the steps he is taking to protect and grow HSE home support services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17682/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
626. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that HSE home support service is not listed on hospital discharge forms, but private care companies are included as an option; the reason this is the case; and if he will ensure that the HSE home support service is listed. [17683/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
627. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if a person in receipt of a medical card should be paying for Vitamin B12 injections in their local GP service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17685/24]
View answerUnder the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess." There is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or GP visit card to be charged for medical services provided under the contract.
It is a matter for the treating GP to determine in the case of each individual patient what is proper and necessary care. In circumstances where a GP, in the exercise of his/her clinical judgement, determines that a particular treatment or service requested by a patient is not clinically necessary, but the patient still wishes to receive the treatment, it is at the GPs discretion as to whether he/she imposes a charge for providing the service/treatment in question.
Consultation fees charged by GPs outside the terms of the GMS contracts are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and their patients. My Department has no role in relation to such fees.
Vitamins and minerals do not generally need a prescription. However, there is a limited range of products that were historically available on the GMS reimbursement list. Injectable Vitamin B 12 is one such product on the reimbursement list and, subject to the statutory prescription charge, is available to medical card holders without charge where appropriate.
