Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 24 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 6

Written Answers. - Army Medical Officers.

Phil Hogan

Ceist:

112 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to (1) the difficulties in relation to employment of former Army medical officers into the general medical services scheme and (2) the fact that Ireland is the only EC country where there seems to be no agreed recognition of Army service for doctors returning to civilian life; if he will undertake to have all doctors who serve or have served in the Permanent Defence Forces receive the appropriate recognition for that service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

General practitioners are granted entry to the GMS scheme on the basis of one of the following:

(1) Open competition for vacancies that arise;

(2) Open competition for posts of assistant with a view to partnership;

(3) Doctors who have established themselves in whole-time general practice prior to 1 January 1989 are granted right-of-entry on completion of five years continuous practice in the one location.

Doctors applying for positions under (1) or (2) above must have the following experience.

(a) Six months experience in full-time general practice. The six months need not be continuous but must be in full-time general practice. Experience gained in short term locums, in a locum bureau or in employment otherwise than as a full-time general practitioner is not reckonable towards the aggregate of the six months.

(b) Periods of six months hospital experience in each of any three of the following specialities, or three months in the case of participants in a recognised vocational training scheme, accident and emergency medicine or general surgery, general medicine, geriatric medicine, obstetrics and/or gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry. All entrants should have at least six months in either general medicine or paediatrics.

These arrangements have been the subject of negotiations and agreement between successive Ministers for Health and the Irish Medical Organisation since the inception of the scheme.

All doctors, including doctors who have served in the Permanent Defence Forces, are entitled to apply for entry to the scheme if they meet the requirements. However, Army medical service, in itself, is not taken into account in determining eligibility for right-of-entry to the scheme under (3) above.

My Department and the Irish Medical Organisation are at present discussing the arrangements for entry to the GMS and I will write to the Deputy when these discussions are completed.