Vol. 510 No. 6
252 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the situation where independent general practitioners are losing patients due to the delay in issuing them with general medical services numbers; and the plans, if any, he has to deal with this problem. [23367/99]
In March of this year, agreement was reached with the Irish Medical Organisation on a one-off arrangement for entry to the GMS scheme by doctors who met certain requirements, particularly as regards experience and qualifications. In essence, the agreement allowed for limited GMS scheme Entry for doctors having five years' full-time general practice experience. Those doctors would be in a position to retain any of their private patients, who after 1 March 1999, obtained a medical card. Doctors with eight years relevant experience would be able to apply for full GMS scheme contracts. They could take on any person having a medical card. For the sake of completeness, I should point out that a limited contract holder would, after accumulating the required eight years experience, also become eligible for a full contract.
As regards the implementation of the agreement, the terms of the agreement required significant elaboration before they could be implemented. This involved further discussions with the IMO aimed at mutually agreed clarification of terms as well as consultations with the health boards on the practical steps that would be required for the processing of applications.
Given the above, it was recognised by all parties to the agreement that a time factor was inevitable for the full implementation of the new arrangements. Accordingly, it was accepted that doctors benefiting under the agreement who, pending the processing of their application, continued to treat their formerly private patients, would be remunerated on the appropriate basis. All of the essential implementation work has now been completed and I am satisfied that appropriate procedures are in place for the efficient and proper processing of applications. Indeed, health boards are already issuing contracts under these arrangements and no undue delays should arise.
