Vol. 546 No. 3
191 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children when he proposes to launch a major new scheme whereby general practitioners around the country will be involved in the structured care of parents with cardiovascular disease. [31435/01]
The scheme the Deputy is referring to is called secondary prevention for patients with cardiovascular disease in general practice. A steering committee was established to progress this issue. This committee is a sub-group of the advisory forum on cardiovascular health, which advises the heart health task force and my Department on the prioritisation of various technical issues associated with the implementation of the cardiovascular strategy.
A meeting took place on 15 November to discuss outstanding issues with representatives from the Irish College of General Practitioners, the Irish Medical Organisation, the health boards and officials from my Department. While this meeting was very helpful, further discussions are still ongoing with the key stakeholders on how best to progress the implementation of this programme on a national basis.
