Thomas Gould
Ceist:673. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if general practitioners can charge medical card patients for the health check needed for over 70s applying for a drivers licence. [6140/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 8 February 2022
Ceisteanna (673)
Freagraí scríofa
Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess". Persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services including GP consultations.
The HSE reimburses GPs for services provided under the GMS contract to medical and GP visit card holders. The contract stipulates that fees in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences" are not covered by the contract . Any fees charged by GPs for services provided outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the GP and their patient.
There are no plans at present to include the completion of medical reports required for driving licence applications as a service to be provided to GMS patients under the GMS or GP Visit Card scheme.
The requirements for the submission of a medical report from a registered medical practitioner with driving licence applications for certain categories of persons, including those aged 70 and over, is governed by the National Driver Licence Service and the Department of Transport.