Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Health if he has been approached by companies with a view to funding the provision of primary care centres; if it is his policy to work with private companies to facilitate the provision of such centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29455/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that I have been approached by numerous companies with a view to funding the provision of primary care centres in Ireland. It is my Department's policy to work with all interested parties to facilitate the provision of primary care infrastructure which delivers value for money. There are always more construction projects than can be funded from the Exchequer's capital health care allocation. The primary care infrastructure model offers a good fit for private sector finance. The infrastructure development, through a combination of public and private investment, will facilitate the delivery of multi-disciplinary primary health care and represents a tangible re-focussing of the health service to deliver care in the most appropriate and lowest cost setting. The Exchequer will continue to fund the delivery of Primary Care Centres in deprived urban areas, small rural towns and isolated areas.

The Programme for Government sets out our commitment to ensuring a better and more efficient health system, a single-tier health service that will deliver equal access to health care based on need not income. The key objective of the Primary Care Strategy is to develop services in the community which will give people direct access to integrated multi-disciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other health care disciplines. In a developed primary care system, up to 95 per cent of people's day-to-day health and social care needs can be met in the primary care setting. These enable multi-disciplinary services to be delivered on a single site, provide a single point of access for users, and encourage closer coordination between health providers. I will continue to explore and examine innovative solutions to the provision of the necessary primary care infrastructure.