Vol. 517 No. 3
200 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 23 of 10 February 2000, no additional funding was made available to the health boards to allow them reimburse medical card holders who had been charged a fee for the administration of the influenza vaccine; the way in which health boards are to finance vaccines in these cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9708/00]
Supplies of influenza vaccine are made available to general practitioners free of charge by the health boards.
No specific funding has been provided to health boards for the reimbursement of medical card holders in circumstances such as those outlined by the Deputy. My Department is not aware of any significant incidence of such a practice by general practitioners. In the event of such an occurrence being brought to the attention of a health board it would be a matter for the board to consider meeting the cost from within its existing financial allocation.
