Richard Bruton
Ceist:222 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of patient visits, prescriptions issued and population cover under the medical card system in each of the years 1998-2003. [28836/03]
Written Answers. - Medical Cards.
General practitioners are paid capitation rates based on the age, gender and distance from the surgery of the patients on their GMS panels. Payment, therefore, has no relation to the number of consultations. Information on the number of visits is not routinely kept either centrally or at board level.
The details of the number of prescriptions processed and the number of persons covered for the years 1998 to 2003 by the medical card scheme as supplied by the GMS, payments board are as follows:
|
Year |
Prescriptions processed |
No of persons covered by medical card |
% of population |
|
1998 |
9.475m |
1,183,554 |
31.95 |
|
1999 |
9.63m |
1,164,187 |
31.42 |
|
2000 |
9.74m |
1,148,055 |
30.32 |
|
2001 |
10.45m |
1,199,454 |
31.24 |
|
2002 |
10.60m |
1,168,745 |
29.84 |
|
Nov 2003 |
Not available |
1,168,745 |
29.84 |
Details of the total number of prescriptions processed in 2003 will be available after year end.