Vol. 534 No. 2
83 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation on the extension of medical card cover to those aged over 70 has taken place; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some doctors are refusing to accept persons becoming eligible under this provision onto their GMS list. [10274/01]
I met representatives of the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, in March, to discuss a number of issues relevant to general practice, including the introduction of automatic medical card eligibility for all persons aged 70 and over as announced in the Budget last December. I found that discussion both useful and informative.
Yesterday, the IMO and the Health Service Employers' Agency, which is the appropriate forum for addressing these matters, reached agreement on a range of outstanding issues in relation to the general medical services scheme, GMS. It was further agreed that the IMO will, after Easter, engage in discussions on the specific matter of the effective and timely implementation of the Budget provision by the due date of 1 July.
More generally, the final phase of the three year phased doubling of medical card income limits for the 70 and over age group was completed in March of this year. IMO agreement on the implementation of that measure has been in place since its commencement in 1999 and I am not aware of any problems in this area. However, if any medical card holder in that age category is experiencing any difficulty in registering with a contracted GMS doctor he or she should immediately report the matter to the relevant local health board.
