Mary Henry (Independent)

I welcome the introduction of medical cards of any description. I think my colleagues in general practice are glad to see that those who are genuinely deserving will receive these cards. The Minister of State is correct in saying that advice and reassurance is frequently all that is needed. It is not a case of there being a pill for every ill. However, advice and reassurance take far longer to give than a prescription and I am not quite sure what time has been factored into GPs' very busy lives to deal with these people who almost certainly are denying themselves medical treatment because of the cost. I know from reports from some of my colleagues in general practice that they frequently see people who have to come back for a second or third visit and are not charged for those visits. Therefore, there is a kind of "free doctor" system at the moment, despite the fact that many people do not have medical cards.

The Minister of State might be able to fill me in on a few details about the scheme. Will the 200,000 medical cards be issued on the same day? Will the primary care sector have to deal with the situation without any forward planning? There has been very little progress in the ten primary health schemes that are running as pilot projects. I heard that permission had been given directly by the Minister, and I think she was correct in doing so, for the Ballymun health centre to go ahead. I then discovered that everything has to go out to tender. It will be at least nine months before the centre is up and running, despite the fact that the old centre frequently has to close due to problems with wiring and heating.

These new medical cards will be of very little use to people in areas where there are no GPs. I am sure there could GPs in these areas if we had more Irish graduates qualifying, as was stated in the Hanly report. It would be a good idea if the Minister for Health and Children encouraged the Minister for Education and Science to double the number of people going into medicine; this could happen if the Government allows it. Perhaps then, those with the doctor-visit medical card could actually visit a doctor. There are many problems with implementing this scheme on the ground and I would be very grateful if someone would give me some answers because despite all the avenues I have gone up to date, I have not been able to get much information about it.