Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 239: To ask the Minister for Health the measures he is putting in place to ensure that medical card holders are not charged by their general practitioners for the completion of a medical check-up required by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. [17814/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The General Medical Services (GMS) GP contract stipulates that General Practitioners "shall provide for eligible persons, on behalf of the HSE, all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a GP and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree which GPs cannot reasonably be expected to possess". The contract between the HSE and general practitioners under the GMS Scheme stipulates that fees are not paid to GPs by the HSE in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences".

Consultation fees charged by general practitioners to private patients and to GMS patients outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and the patients. While I have no role in relation to such fees, I would expect clinicians to have regard to the overall economic situation in setting their fees. I should add that General Practitioners who hold GMS contracts with the HSE must not seek or accept money from medical card or GP visit card holders in respect of routine treatment.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 240: To ask the Minister for Health if he will expedite a response to an application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [17831/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 241: To ask the Minister for Health if a medical card application will be expedited and approved in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if there is a time frame for such decisions [17840/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.