Vol. 489 No. 6
477 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the action, if any, he can take in situations where the call-out fee for general practitioners can be as high as £30; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9442/98]
Under the Health Act, 1970, health boards are required to make available, without charge, a general practitioner medical and surgical service to persons with full eligibility, that is, medical card holders. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, health boards enter into contacts with general practitioners for the provision of these services under the general medical services (GMS) scheme. The terms of this contact include a fees schedule for the services provided and are the subject of negotiation and agreement between the Department, the health boards and the Irish Medical Organisation.
Neither I nor the health boards have any function in relation to charges for services levied by general practitioners for their treatment of persons who are not covered by the GMS scheme, that is, private patients of the general practitioner.
