Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the widely reported practice of general practitioners charging medical card holders for blood tests; if medical card holders are entitled to such tests and if GPs are not entitled to charge for them; if charging for other items covered by the medical card has been reported to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10080/11]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for Health and Children his views on general practitioners charging medical card holders a €10 fee for taking blood tests; the action he will take on behalf of these medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10162/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 95 together.

Under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, a general practitioner (GP) is expected to provide his/her patients who hold medical cards or GP visit cards with all proper and necessary treatment of a kind generally undertaken by a GP. Where blood tests form part of the investigation and necessary treatment of patients symptoms or conditions, these should be provided free of charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. The HSE also points out that, in many GP surgeries, it is the practice nurse who takes blood samples. The HSE significantly subsidises the cost of employing practice nurses.

If the HSE is made aware of specific cases where GMS patients are being charged by GP contractors, it will arrange to have such cases investigated as appropriate. A report has been requested from the Primary Care Unit Managers in the HSE on the extent of complaints received and the status of same.