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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 2000

Vol. 513 No. 1

Written Answers. - General Practitioner Services.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

475 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement of the agreement reached in April 1999 between his Department and the Irish Medical Organisation which would secure the future of dispensing doctors in rural general practice; and the reason the agreement has not been implemented to date. [1856/00]

An agreement was reached with the Irish Medical Organisation, subject to acceptance by its members, in April of last year on new procedures and arrangements to apply to dispensing doctors in the GMS. That acceptance was forthcoming in August and since then the process of introducing the new arrangements set out in the agreement have been under way.

The new arrangements involve a radical change from the existing dispensing procedures. They include the introduction of a wholly computerised system to make the dispensing process more administratively effective and efficient. Given the wide-ranging extent of the change, and the need for pilot programmes to ensure the operational success of the computerised procedures, it was recognised by both parties at the time the agree ment was reached that the new arrangements could not be fully in place until 2001.
Accordingly, work is ongoing in my Department, in conjunction with the GMS (Payments) Board and the IMO, to give effect to the new arrangements.
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