Results 1-20 of 26 for gp speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...that some survivors are living in poverty and may have mental health problems. Some are homeless and socially isolated. The package of support containing the enhanced medical card gives survivors access to GP services, medicines, home nursing, home help, dental, ear and eye services, counselling, chiropody, podiatry and physiotherapy. My main question concerns whether we have staff...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at Local Level: Discussion (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...the process for when an individual with a disability applies to PAS through a competition, say, or for some kind of accommodation? Does the individual have to submit a certificate from his or her GP certifying his or her disability and what supports he or she needs? What happens with this information? At what point do the prospective employers receive the information? Can we improve...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (8 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: This issue was raised by previous speakers. Many people who come to my clinics in Carlow cannot get access to GP services. This has become a major issue. As the Minister is aware, if you have no GP, you have no medical card. I am finding that this is becoming a regular occurrence. The Irish Medical Organisation has stated that attracting GPs to rural areas has become significantly more...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Challenges Facing Refugee and Migrant Children in Ireland: Discussion (27 Jun 2023)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank everyone for coming in. There are huge challenges within the system. I see it daily. I see people who cannot get GPs, occupational therapists, physiotherapy or dieticians. There are huge challenges. The one thing we have to do is make sure children are prioritised. Whether it comes to vaccinations or medical cards, we have to make sure that every child who enters our country is...

Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...not lose it now because they feel they cannot afford it. Even though these changes are good, I feel that is what is happening. I always feel a medical card is nearly like a gold card because with a medical card you have your GP and your prescription. Many people are now qualifying for their medical card but many of them like to keep both. They like to have their medical card but some,...

Financial Resolutions 2022 - Financial Resolution No. 6: General: Financial Resolution (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...have free books in 2023. It will be important to look at post-primary education in that respect. All of this funding is welcome. I welcome the measures to give people access to medical cards and GP cards. This is a major issue. I have spoken to people who believe they should have been getting the medical card or GP card and now they can do so. What steps are being taken to increase...

Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Second Stage (1 Jul 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...contraception amendment aims to remove cost barriers to contraception for those women. This will be particularly significant for those who are just above the means-tested limits for medical and GP visit cards and those who are still in full-time education and financially dependent on parents and guardians. Public patients, including children, are subject to a statutory public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Education with the UNCRPD (Resumed): Discussion (17 Feb 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...in a brain injury. His biggest concern is that if anything happens to him, he must go to Dublin if he is worried about an issue. There is no outreach support locally in Carlow. He has a great GP and that is not the problem. Rural areas, for example Carlow, do not have proper infrastructure. We do not have buses to take people around the town like the cities have. People with...

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion: Cabinet Committees (1 Feb 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...of dentists together. We finally finding one in Carlow who sees patients under the General Medical Services, GMS, Contract. This is unacceptable. Are there fees for Covid consultations with GPs? I have had a few phone calls about that issue. Now that society has reopened, it is important that people who want to see their GP about non-Covid-related illnesses can see them and are not...

Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Second Stage (19 Jan 2022)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...issue for medical practitioners is also being dealt with. If an adopted person seeks their mother's medical records to see if there was a medical issue, the information is only given to a nominated GP to protect the privacy of the mother. That is an important issue that was also raised at the committee. It is important that the information be given but that privacy rights are respected....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Nov 2021)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...be a five-month interval following vaccination before someone can get the booster. I ask the Taoiseach to clarify that. There is a bit of confusion about it. I also want to raise the issue of GPs. There is no permanent GP in the family medical centre in Tullow. I have contacted the HSE and I have been told that it is in the process of recruiting a GP. There is a locum in place but...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: .... It is another role we need to work on. We need to make sure we have special needs assistants. It is very important. From speaking to families, this is what we need. The extension of free GP care to children aged six and seven is welcome. I hope it will eventually rise to include children aged up to 12 years. I am sure it is what we are looking at long term. I am looking at it...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Medical Cards (11 Mar 2021)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: That is not acceptable. If a patient has a medical card or GP visit card, he or she should be entitled to a free blood test. I compliment doctors. I know how hard they have worked, particularly in the past year with Covid. It has been very difficult for everyone. Even so, vulnerable, often elderly, people who have medical cards have approached me on the matter. When someone has a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Medical Cards (11 Mar 2021)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...fixes one issue, there are others and I am here to discuss one of those issues today. The provision of routine blood tests without charge to holders of medical cards or general practitioner, GP, visit cards is included under the current general medical services, GMS, contract. However, some GPs continue to charge GMS patients for blood tests in some circumstances. There is no provision...

Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-out Programme: Statements (Resumed) (4 Mar 2021)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...roll-out to over-85s to do with ordering and the delivery schedule. That problem was identified but I am concerned that such operational issues will continue and that every cohort will see some GP surgeries, in the same town, getting their vaccines while others do not. That has happened in Carlow, Tullow and other rural towns throughout the country. My understanding, according to what...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...person at the Dublin number rang back and said no nurses were available. On Saturday and Sunday, again, they contacted the public health team and on Sunday evening they had to contact the local GP. They were tested on Monday and told that there could be five-day delay for the results. I worry about this because it is a school but there is another case about which I am extremely worried....

Winter Plan 2020: Statements (1 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...cancer can in some cases be slow to move, anxiety is not. Patients were not able to access screening because of Covid and in some cases they were too afraid to discuss their symptoms with their GPs or they could not access a GP because of Covid. Adding to their anxiety by extending waiting times is not acceptable. I know that this is a priority area for the Minister and I ask that he...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I welcome the expansion of entitlement to GP services for children from age 6 to 12. I ask the Minister to revert to me on the timescale for that. One of the biggest issues I have been contacted several times about is the availability of GPs. We have heard from the public health official that many people are not returning for their follow-up Covid-19 test after being identified as a...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (21 May 2020)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: ...of smear tests and other diagnostics have sent the message that if someone has a symptom, he or she is not safe to be tested. There are people at home desperately afraid to contact their GP. Why is this? It is not right. The message should be that anyone who needs healthcare should get it, not because of how much money they have in their wallet or whatever. It is about getting the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Mar 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Why was almost €3 million spent by the HSE to employ general medical card scheme, GMS, GP locums when doctors around the country were offering to take on a list when a colleague moved on? These doctors were prevented from doing so by the HSE. Why are we allowing circumstances in which we keep throwing away much-needed money? There are doctors willing to ensure continuity of care for...