asked the Minister for Health the average number of prescriptions issued per annum to (a) medical and (b) non-medical card holders; if this information is not available the reason it is not available; and if he considers that it should be available.
Written Answers. - Medical Prescriptions.
324.
In 1981 the average number of prescription items dispensed per person in the general medical service was 11.0. Private medical practice is not subject to control by the public authorities. There is not, therefore, an administrative basis on which to determine prescription rates. Such information would be of interest, but direct comparisions between prescription rates in the private and public sectors are not necessarily valid. For payment purposes prescriptions are written at present for products for medical card holders which, in the private sector, do not require a doctor's prescription.