General Practitioner Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Questions (636)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

636. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if there is a standard fee that general practitioners can charge for a non-Covid-19 related phone consultation; if consideration is given to the length of time the consultation is if it is a related call to a previous phone consultation; his views on whether it is reasonable for a doctor to charge €60 for a social welfare sick certificate of a woman recovering from an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41458/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, patient in-person contact with GPs has been curtailed as much as possible to help prevent the spread of the virus. Nurse and doctor advice is provided over the phone where appropriate, and only patients who are clinically assessed as requiring a face to face consultation with a doctor are referred for an appointment.

Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. GPs are reimbursed by the HSE for the provision of those services.

People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis, including non-Covid-19 related phone consultations and medical certification. Fees charged by GPs for privately provided services are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and their patients.