Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy quoted a number of figures. Defence Forces personnel are not like everyone else in society. They are constantly checked in terms of their mental and physical fitness, they are driven hard in the context of the training they must undergo and they are benchmarked with regard to the standards etc., which they need to set. As the Deputy knows, medical assessment of Defence Forces personnel forms part of the training regime. Defence Forces personnel, who are fit, strong, healthy young men and women, are still obliged to see GPs in order to ensure that they meet the standards expected of them. There is a difference between medical care for these personnel and the need to outsource the carrying out of assessments relating to fitness levels and so on.

In the context of the alternative arrangements that are in place to provide medical cover to military personnel, a total of 36 medical practices, including those involving nine retired military medical officers, provide general practitioner medical services, as required, for military personnel on a contract for services basis at various military installations. We are examining practical ways to ensure that Defence Forces personnel will have access to the medical facilities required in order that they can be looked after adequately in the context of their health demands. Obviously, however, an establishment figure of 28 trained doctors within the Defence Forces is something we would like to achieve. We will continue to consider ways to ensure that we host more successful recruitment campaigns.

See this speech in context