Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2005
11 Mr. Deasy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her plans to encourage more general practitioners to work in certain areas of Dublin in which the ratio of patients to general practitioners exceeds 3,000 patients to one doctor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4265/05]
View answerThe Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision of general practitioners to provide for the appropriate delivery of the needs of medical card holders within their area.
The procedure which governs the filling of vacancies which may arise due to the death, resignation or retirement of an existing general medical services contract holding general practitioner forms part of the contract which was agreed in industrial relations negotiations between the Department of Health and Children and the Irish Medical Organisation. Advertisements are placed in the national and medical press when a vacancy occurs and applications are invited from interested suitably qualified general practitioners. Interviews are held and the post is offered to the successful candidate.
The most recent published information on the distribution of GPs and their panel size was contained in the 2003 annual report for the GMS payments board. This indicates the following panel composition for the 595 general practitioners who held GMS contracts for a full year with the area boards of the former Eastern Regional Authority to provide services for medical card patients.
|
No. of Doctors |
Patient Panel size |
|
163 |
up to 250 |
|
133 |
251 to 500 |
|
207 |
501 to 1000 |
|
74 |
1001 to 1500 |
|
17 |
1501 to 2000 |
|
1 |
2001 to 2500 |
The capitation rates paid to general practitioners under the general medical services scheme are based on the age, gender and location profiles of their patient panels. They also reflect the agreed outcome of industrial relations negotiations on the subject with their representative organisation, the Irish Medical Organisation. A GMS GP may also hold other contracts with the local Health Service Executive to provide services under the Health Amendment Act, such as the high tech medicines, methadone treatment, primary childhood immunisation, EU regulation and other immunisations for certain GMS eligible persons schemes. They also may qualify for allowances towards the employment of practice support staff such as practice nurses, secretaries and managers.
My Department has held discussions with the Irish College of General Practitioners on the subject of future general practice manpower needs. It was agreed to increase the number of training places which will lead to an increase of 22 in the intake of students for each of the next three years. Funding has been provided in the Health Service Executive's allocation for 2005 for the commencement of this process.
