Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2021
347. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Health the way capacity issues will be addressed with the extension of free general practitioner care to children aged six and seven years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51906/21]
View answerIncreasing access to GP care without charges for children is an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop.
The expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under is planned on a phased basis to limit the impact the expansion might have on GP capacity; the initial stage of this phased expansion to be the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7.
The appropriate date for commencing the expansion remains under consideration in light of COVID-19 and the additional pressures the expansion might place on general practice in that context. This date will be determined following consultation with the IMO.
The Government has undertaken several measures in recent years to increase the sustainability of general practice and its attractiveness as a career. Under the 2019 GP Agreement investment in general practice is set to increase by approximately 40% (€210 million) between 2019 and 2023, providing for significant increases in capitation fees for participating GPs. Improvements to maternity and paternity leave arrangements have also been made, and supports introduced for rural practices and practices in areas of urban deprivation.
The number of entrants to GP training has increased from 120 in 2009 to 233 this year, with large increases made in recent years. Further increases are expected as responsibility for training has transferred from the HSE to the Irish College of General Practitioners.
