Vol. 437 No. 4
174 Ms. Keogh asked the Minister for Health if he intends to revise the GP drug targets upwards; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that any such revision will constitute a direct financial incentive to GPs to influence their drug prescribing policy.
The 1992 agreement with the medical organisation included a number of initiatives, including indicative drug targets for individual doctors, to promote better quality and cost effective prescribing in the GMS. On the basis of the figures available, a number of doctors will achieve savings on their targets in 1993. These savings will be used, in accordance with the 1992 agreement, to fund specific developments in individual practices and in the GMS service overall rather than to increase doctors salaries.
It is not intended to revise the 1993 targets which were set last year. Discussions on the 1994 targets are ongoing with the Irish Medical Organisation.
