Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Defence the progress to date on the implementation of the Defence Forces patients charter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6354/08]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Defence his new proposals in regard to attracting personnel to the Medical Corps. [6339/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 151 together.

I can assure the House that Defence Forces personnel requiring medical treatment are getting the care they need. The challenges in the medical arena have been recognized for some time and a review of the provision of medical services is ongoing as part of the Modernisation Agenda for the Defence Forces. The Representative Associations are involved with us in this review. The scope of the review includes the level of service to be provided to members of the Defence Forces and the resources required for the delivery of that service.

The review has already produced a Patients Charter with the agreement of all parties. I welcome the agreement on the Patients Charter as it clearly identifies the rights of members of the Defence Forces as patients, their obligations as users of the Defence Forces medical services and the obligations on the providers of the services.

The full implementation of the Patients Charter is awaiting completion of the administrative procedures governing the referral by the Medical Corps of patients for external medical treatment. This is expected to be completed shortly.

However, the key issue at this time is the acknowledged shortage of Medical Officers (Doctors) in the Medical Corps. The establishment for doctors is forty seven (47). The current strength of Medical Officers serving in the Defence Forces is twenty two (22).

The difficulties with the recruitment of Medical Officers have endured for some time despite the concerted efforts of my Department and the Defence Forces. The numbers attracted to work in the Defence Forces have served only to address natural wastage. The pay and allowances of doctors and dentists were recently increased substantially in consultation with the Minister for Finance. In addition, the Defence Forces have recently undertaken an intensive recruitment campaign. The results of both of these initiatives have been disappointing.

The services of civilian medical Practitioners are used to provide back-up to the Medical Corps in ensuring that the primary health care requirements are met. In addition to providing primary care, the Medical Corps must also deliver a range of services to the Defence Forces including occupational medical services. In view of the complexity of the challenge and the need for concrete steps, I have decided to engage consultants to make recommendations on the best means of meeting the medical requirements of the Defence Forces. I will shortly issue documents to invite tenders for this consultancy. The consultancy will deal with all relevant issues affecting the sustainable provision of the relevant medical expertise and services to the Defence Forces. My officials have also had exploratory discussions with the Health Service Executive (HSE) about possible sharing of resources or a reciprocal arrangement that would provide opportunities for Defence Force Doctors to develop their skills and competencies and gain experience within a large health care environment. Further discussions are scheduled for the coming weeks.

The development of the capacity of the Medical Corps forms part of the agreed programme for Government. I am committed to providing a sustainable medical service to meet the needs of the Defence Forces both at home and abroad.