Dáil debates
Thursday, 6 March 2025
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
General Practitioner Services
3:40 am
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
I do not accept that no solution has been attempted. I know it is not quite what Deputy Sherlock is saying but for the benefit of the House, proposals have been presented to GP Care For All. One is a partnership model, which is a traditional model of service delivery within general practice and also works in other areas. Another proposal is a hybrid model where the HSE contracts individual GPs to provide services to specific patients and a model around that. Another proposal is a more direct subsidy model. A few different options have been on the table. I appreciate that we have 29 seconds to work out the details and I do not wish to read it all into the record of the House but I am certainly happy to try to understand why not one of these models can work. I am also interested to see what flexibility GP Care For All can facilitate as well. The offer here involves structural solutions not just from the Department and the HSE but with an independent third party to try to find a solution, offer of additional resources and offer of direct subsidy. I am certainly not saying, "How much more can we offer?" but I do want to know what we can do to get this resolved because that is our intention. It cannot be that only one side is trying to work it out, however. There must be a certain measure of flexibility.
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