asked the Minister for Health if he intends to ease the means test for medical card holders, to grant a choice of doctor to such persons and to abolish the dispensary system; and, if so, when these proposals are being brought into effect.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Services.
71.
I would refer the Deputy to my speech on the Estimates for my Department, on 23rd February last (Dáil Debates, vol. 226, column 1776), when I stated my intention to introduce legislation this year to give effect to changes mentioned in the White Paper, including provision for choice of doctor where that is practicable and for regulations specifying the group entitled to the general medical service. The arrangements consequential on the legislation will, of course, take some further time, and it is not yet possible to give a date for the introduction of the proposals.
I might add that in advance of legislation, health authorities have been exhorted to automatically include recipients of non-contributory old age pensions, blind pensions and widows' pensions among the classes eligible for general medical services.
72.
asked the Minister for Health if he will state in specific terms what improvements he proposes to make in the health services during the present financial year.
General improvements in the health services over a wide field will continue in the present year. The following specific proposals are in train: (i) the addition to the district nursing service of a further 100 specially trained public health nurses; (ii) provision of 277 additional beds for mentally handicapped patients, plus a day-care unit with 24 places; (iii) opening of six new psychiatric units in various centres and other improvements in psychiatric services; (iv) improvement in the position regarding recruitment of dentists to existing vacancies and to newly-approved posts, following a recently-approved increased salary scale; (v) an increase, as from 1st August, 1967, in the rates of disabled persons and infectious diseases maintenance allowances; (vi) recruitment of eight wholetime speech therapists to enable the introduction of a speech therapy service in many parts of the country where none exists at present; (vii) introduction of regulations to enable persons in the middle income group to obtain hearing aids, if needed, at approved charges; (viii) improvement of services for care of the aged including employment of qualified occupational therapists; (ix) introduction of regulations controlling the presence in food of preservatives, colouring matters, antioxidants, mineral hydrocarbons, arsenic and lead; (x) completion of various capital works to the value of about £3 million.
It seems, therefore, that the major changes announced in the White Paper will not be effected this year, for example, the choice of doctor and the decision as to whether we should do away with the dispensary system.
The dispensary system has already been dealt with.
I am talking about a supplementary this year. Would the Minister be good enough to elaborate a little more on the dental services?
An improvement in their salaries has been offered to dentists. As a result of that, recruitment will, I hope, be greatly expanded. We also hope to take on more private dentists on a sessional basis but negotiations have not been going on as smoothly as I had hoped.
Will the Minister ensure that there will be improvements in the coming financial year?
I hope there will.
Could the Minister assure the House that pending negotiation on these important things such as the abolition of the dispensary system and the provision of a choice of doctor, he will at least contact the managers of health authorities and request them to liberalise the means test, as there are many large sections of our workingclass people precluded from securing medical cards at the present time and suffering great hardship in securing medical treatment?
That is a desperate humbug.
The issue of the White Paper was only a gimmick to catch votes.