Vol. 423 No. 8
142 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health whether there is funding available for additional GP payments and for the overall development of general practice; and, if not, if this will affect the General Medical Services review.
The 1989 GMS contract changed the manner in which general practitioners were paid in respect of services for medical card patients from a fee-per-item to a capitation based system and also introduce a range of additional benefits for GPs. This change, together with adjustments made following a review of the first year's operation of the new contract, resulted in a significant increase in the cost of general practitioner services in the scheme.
In addition, the Deputy may be aware that on a successful conclusion to the current GMS Review, the Government has agreed to a recommendation arising out of an arbitration hearing, to increase the fees to doctors in the scheme by 17.5 per cent.
The current review of the GMS scheme is continuing at present and, in the circumstances, I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to make any detailed comment at this stage on the nature of the discussions taking place. However, I wish to assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to the review process and I remain hopeful that a successful outcome to these discussions can be achieved.
