Vol. 543 No. 1
154 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the recent call by the Rural Doctors of Ireland group who have called on him to support rural general practitioners if they are to continue their work in serving the community. [25743/01]
I am aware of the service provided by general practitioners to rural communities and of the onerous workload they may experience particularly in the case of single handed practices. In this regard, I see the development of out of hours co-operatives as a significant move towards improving both the quality of life of the rural doctor and the quality of care of the patient. Support is also provided for rural doctors through the payment, in some instances, of rural practice allowances and a range of practice support measures in respect of nursing and secretarial staff is also available.
Question No. 155 answered with Question No. 150.
