andMr. Brady asked the Minister for Health if he will state for the most recent twelve months for which figures are available the total cost of implementing the sections of the Health Act, 1953, which make provision for the supply of medicines to holders of general medical service cards, including overheads, administrative expenses, and salaries and wages paid to personnel but excluding salaries paid to medical officers; and if he will state the number of general medical cards in force during the same period.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Act, 1953: Cost of Implementation.
9.
I presume that the information sought relates to the cost of medicines supplied as part of the general medical services provided under Section 14 of the Health Act, 1953.
The expenditure on medicines and medical and surgical appliances provided at dispensaries in respect of the year ended 31st March, 1959, as shown in accounts furnished by local authorities to my Department, was £276,400, and the number of general medical service cards in force as at the last day of each quarter during the year 1958/59 averaged 274,824.
It would not be possible without very extensive and costly enquiries to obtain particulars of expenditure on medicines as distinct from medical and surgical appliances. Expenditure on appliances, dressings, etc. is included in the same category as medicines in the local accounts and to obtain a figure for medicines only it would be necessary to ask each local authority to examine in detail the accounts for each dispensary.
The ascertainment of the amount of overhead and administration costs would be even more difficult and would involve considerable arbitrary apportionments of costs common to groups of services. Overhead costs would include rent, upkeep of dispensaries, heating, lighting and caretakers' services. The element of these costs which would be appropriate merely to the provision of medicines rather than the provision of the doctors' services would be a matter of conjecture in each case. Administrative expenses in relation to the provision of medicines would include salaries of office workers dealing with ordering of supplies, payment of accounts, etc. and also the associated printing, stationery, telephone, etc. costs. Without special detailed enquiry into the accounts of each local authority, these expenses could not be estimated. The salaries of the officers dispensing the medicines would be clearly ascertainable where pharmacists are employed; but in small dispensaries the handling of the medicines is part of the work of the doctors.