Vol. 489 No. 6
382 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has satisfied himself with the level of general practitioner cover for medical card holders in west Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9383/98]
The responsibility for ensuring the adequacy of general practitioner services for medical card patients in the west Waterford area is with the chief executive officer of the South-Eastern Health Board. The number of general practitioners participating in the GMS in this area is 13, who provide a service for 7,775 medical card holders. Their average GMS panel is 590, which compares very favourably with the limit of 2,000 provided for in the GMS contract for provision of general practitioner services. I am satisfied that there is a sufficient number of general practitioners in the GMS scheme in west Waterford to provide the level of service required.
