Vol. 412 No. 3
151 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the reasons persons who are accepted as capable of providing a general practitioner service to private patients cannot be admitted to the list of doctors who are eligible to have a panel of public patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
General practitioners are granted entry to the GMS scheme on the basis of the following: open competition for vacancies that arise; open competition for posts of assistant with a view to partnership; doctors who have established themselves in wholetime general practice prior to 1 January 1989 are granted right of entry on completion of five years' continuous practice in the one location.
The main method of entry to the GMS scheme is by way of open competition. The principle of open competition applies in the interest of ensuring the highest level of service to medical card holders.
These arrangements have been the subject of negotiations and agreement between successive Ministers for Health and the Irish Medical Organisation since the inception of the scheme and are currently under review.
