Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
691. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which basic primary care will be provided to private patients who are unable to access general practitioners due to lack of capacity; the way they are to access the most basic level of primary care; the procedures open to them in seeking primary general practice care and ancillary services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48216/21]
View answerUnder the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list.
People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private contractors, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients.
The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice, including the limited access to GP services in certain areas, and has implemented a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention in general practice.
These measures include an increase in investment in general practice by approximately 40% (€210 million) between 2019 and 2023 under the terms of the 2019 GMS GP Agreement GP. The Agreement provides for increased support for GPs working in rural practices and for those in disadvantaged urban areas, and for improvements to maternity and paternity leave arrangements. In addition, the number of GPs entering training has been increased steadily over the past ten years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with plans for further increases in future years.
These measures will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.
