Results 4,081-4,100 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Data (5 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The €113 million savings target under medical card probity was agreed by Government as part of the package of Budget 2014 measures. The Secretaries General of the Departments of Health, Public Expenditure & Reform, and an Taoiseach are undertaking a validation exercise of this target. The HSE's National Service Plan for 2014, which Minister Reilly is now reviewing, includes...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Coverage (5 Dec 2013)

Alex White: There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Scheme. Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines. In addition, people who...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (5 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (5 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (5 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Reviews (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Reviews (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Treatment Abroad Scheme (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The HSE operates a Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS), for persons entitled to treatment in another EU/EEA member state or Switzerland under EU Regulation 883/04, as per the procedures set out in EU Regulation 987/09, and in accordance with Department of Health Guidelines. Subject to the EU Regulations and Guidelines, the TAS provides for the cost of approved treatments in another EU/EEA member...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: Delivery of healthcare infrastructure is a service matter. Therefore your question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Training (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: There are currently 157 GP training places per year. In July of this year, my colleague Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health, established a Working Group, chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, to carry out a Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure. The Working Group will examine and make high-level recommendations relating to training and career pathways...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (4 Dec 2013)

Alex White: The HSE commenced a once-off initiative to reduce adult waiting lists in Q4 of 2013. As part of the initiative the HSE conducted a procurement process in October/ November 2013 under the appropriate EU and national rules. The tender was advertised on the National Procurement Service’s e-tenders website. Two private providers were selected to work with the HSE to clear some of the...

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: It might be useful to quote the relevant section of the GMS contract. In that regard, section 11 states:The medical practitioner shall provide for eligible persons, on behalf of the relevant Health Board, 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...

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: I cannot comment specifically on an individual case. I can, however, assure the Deputy that there are certain types of letters and certificates which are comprehended by the contract and in respect of which fees should not be sought or charged. The Deputy was correct to focus on the use of the term "examination which is reasonably required" in the contract in the context of the certificate...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Prescription Charges (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: As announced in Budget 2014, it has become necessary to increase the prescription charge due to the very difficult and challenging economic environment which requires the Government to achieve additional savings in health expenditure with €666 million of savings targeted in 2014. The increase in prescription charges will account for €43 million of this target. The Government...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Screening Programmes (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 398, 403, 408 to 410, inclusive, 453 and 454 together. The Health Service Executive provides a sight testing service as part of the school health screening programme for children of primary school age. The screening service is provided by public health nurses and area medical officers. Children who are identified as requiring treatment or intervention are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: No means test is applied to a person reporting end stage terminal illness. All that is required is that a medical report be submitted to the HSE verifying the person's condition. On receipt of the report confirmation, a medical card issues within 24 hours to the person concerned for a period of six months. Moreover, it is open to the person concerned or their parents, in the case of a card...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (3 Dec 2013)

Alex White: Assessment for eligibility for an over-70s medical card is based on gross income from all sources with the exception of specific compensation awards/redress awards and income from a certain amount of savings and similar investments, currently set at €36,000 for a single person and €72,000 for a couple. There are no proposals at present to change these amounts.