Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which is very timely and welcome. Everybody in the House will probably support the passage of this Bill. I wondered why we needed the IMF to tell us this needed to be done. It should have been done many years ago to ensure people have a quality health service and a choice available to them in regard to access to GP services.

Deputy Healy referred to rural Ireland and I ask the Minister to consider it. We must provide enticements to ensure GPs set up practices in rural Ireland. There are many advantages to that but it ensures people have a service and a choice available to them.

How easy is it for people to transfer from one doctor to another under the GMS? We must ensure there is a seamless transfer so that medical card patients can move to another doctor if they so wish.

It is vital as this rolls out in the years to come that we have a very worthwhile health service and proper primary care throughout the country with an adequate number of GPs who can provide the cover. Everyone should be entitled to that. It is also important that the Minister ensures the GMS is not abused by GPs. I have come across a number of cases in recent months where GPs have charged medical card patients for the taking of routine blood samples. I note that in the past couple of weeks, the HSE has started to take action in that regard. It is disgraceful as GPs are already well compensated for having medical card patients on their books and are well compensated by the HSE with contributions towards practice nurses, including the provision of insurance cover for them. In many cases, they are provided with facilities, offices and clinics. The HSE must take a very hard line to ensure GPs provide the services to which their patients are entitled and do not add on additional charges which patients can ill afford.

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