Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 2000

Vol. 513 No. 4

Written Answers. - General Practitioner Services.

Jack Wall

Ceist:

178 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the locum system being put in place by many general practitioners to cover their clinics and patients when the general practitioner is on leave is causing many problems for those patients, particularly the patients who have no means of transport and are being asked to travel many miles to clinics due to the fact the locum is not prepared to travel to their homes; if this problem will be investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2809/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Health boards have responsibility for ensuring that GMS scheme doctors comply with the terms of their contracts in relation to all aspects of service delivery, including locum services. Doctors are contracted by the boards to provide a domiciliary service only where medically required and not on grounds of transport difficulty for the patient, except, of course, where that is relevant in a medical context. The same service considerations apply to locums.

The health boards have advised that they are not aware of any difficulties of the type referred to by the Deputy in his question but if the Deputy has specific information or examples where a locum was not prepared to travel to a patient's home on grounds, other than medical ones, he should make such cases known to myself or my Department for investigation.