Lorraine Higgins (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for taking this Adjournment matter regarding the potential provision of primary health care facilities in the east Galway area. Primary health care was born as a concept under the Declaration of Alma-Ata in 1978 but it entered the Irish lexicon only in recent years. It was an important milestone in the promotion of world health as it introduced a new way of delivering essential health services. The type of services provided under this concept are imperative for people in areas such as Athenry, Tuam, Loughrea, Ballinasloe, Gort and Portumna. These facilities would provide a wide range of services essential for the well-being of members of these communities and include the promotion of health, screening, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, as well as personal social services. They are particularly attractive as a concept in that they are fully accessible by way of self-referral and operate as a one-stop shop for health needs.

Although the term "primary health care facilities" is often used in synch with the term "general practice", it is important to point out that the former is much broader than the latter as it involves many health professionals, delivering a wide range of services from such as general practitioners, public health nurses, general nurses, social workers, midwives, community mental health nurses, dieticians, dentists, community welfare officers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropodists, community pharmacists, psychologists and others. As we know, the current health system is not a fully integrated one, as many of the aforementioned professionals are private practitioners or direct employees of the public health system, and they operate with general practitioners, who are independent contractors.

We need a better health service for everybody in the community and for that reason I ask the Minister of State to outline her plans today. Our health strategy should aim to deliver improvements in the personal experience of many thousands of individuals who are availing of health services every day. To that end, it is imperative that the aforementioned services be made available within the community. That is the reason I request the Minister of State to expand the primary care team concept to Loughrea, Ballinasloe, Gort, Tuam, Portumna and Athenry, in the interest of providing accessible community care facilities to the citizens of these areas. If the Minister of State is minded to provide these facilities in these areas, I further ask that she make the necessary arrangements in the capital budget to implement this programme over the coming three years.