Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 May 2020
527. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health if it is permitted for general practitioners not to accept medical card patients; and if patients that pay privately for such general practitioners can be reimbursed for subsequent prescription charges. [7257/20]
View answerAlthough GPs will ordinarily accept new patients who hold a medical or GP visit card on to their GMS panel, a GP may choose not to accept such a patient.
Additionally, the GMS GP contract stipulates that the maximum number of medical card or GP visit card patients that a GP can have on his/her panel is 2,000, or 2,200 if the GP also holds an under 6 contract, except in exceptional circumstances where the HSE decides to apply a higher limit. However, as of 1st of May 2020, only 7 of the 2,506 GMS contract holders in the country have reached or exceeded the 2,200 maximum patient limit.
Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the HSE has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list where the person has unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area who hold GMS contracts.
Medical card holders are liable to pay a prescription charge for prescribed medicines received without charge, with exemptions for certain medical card holders.
