Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 3

Written Answers. - General Practitioners.

Paul McGrath

Question:

194 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many general practitioners working in rural areas are experiencing long working hours, weekend duty every second weekend and proportionally higher secretarial and overhead costs due to their smaller practice and limited number of medical card holders; if he will detail any initiatives he proposes to help reduce the workload on those general practitioners working in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10824/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I am committed to a rigorous and far-reaching review of general practice that will shape its future development as a key aspect of the integrated health services of the future. Part of that process is already complete and involved a major examination by the health board chief executive officers of the infrastructural issues and challenges facing general practice. Having received their report, and Government agreement to move forward with the review process, it is now my intention to engage in a wide-ranging consultative exercise with all the relevant representative bodies, in particular, the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners. The review process will be especially concerned with addressing comprehensively the issue of general practice in the rural setting.

However, there are already a number of distinct measures in place to deal with the realities of rural general practice. First, many rural general practitioners in the GMS scheme qualify for a rural practice allowance, and those that qualify for that allowance are also very favourably treated in terms of medical indemnity support. Second, a computerised dispensing doctor system is currently being introduced and that will greatly benefit rural GPs who are dispensing doctors. Third, since 1998, the Department has provided significant financial support to individual rural GPs to improve the position of those in one in one rotas. Fourth, the response being developed in my Department to the out of hours issue generally has specific regard to the rural issue in that all proposals for project support must provide for an equality of service between urban and rural areas.