Vol. 559 No. 2
168 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to examine the possibility of providing additional inducements for the appointment of general practitioners to the GMS system in view of the serious dilemmas being experienced in rural hinterlands in terms of having general practitioners appointed to these areas. [26109/02]
The general medical services scheme presently makes provision for the payment of a rural practice allowance for qualifying participating doctors. The amount of the allowance is currently €14,295.87 per annum. I have no plans to provide additional incentives.
I would also mention the significant investment that this Government has made in the development of general practice out of hours co-operatives. The advent of these co-operatives has allowed participating general practitioners, particularly those in rural areas, to regularise and in most cases greatly reduce their out of hours commitment.
