Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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700. To ask the Minister for Health if the two general medical services, GMS, allowances will remain in place to enable the Bangor Erris, Glenamoy and Geesala clinics to remain open with two full-time nurses and two full-time secretaries in Bangor and Glenamoy as is the case; and if his attention has been drawn to the savings made by reducing to one general practitioner covering the area from Doohoma Head, Bellacorick and Carrowteige. [3355/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the status of the GMS panels in Bangor Erris and Glenamoy is an operational issue, I have asked the HSE to provide an update on this matter directly to the Deputy.

Under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GPs are reimbursed for the range of services they provide to medical card and GP visit card holders. GPs are remunerated for these services by the HSE primarily on a capitation basis, with a range of additional support payments and fees for specific items of service.

Capitation payments are made in respect of each medical card and GP visit card patient on a GP's panel, with capitation rates varying across gender and age cohort to reflect differences in health need; therefore the cost associated with the provision of GP care to GMS patients is largely determined by the number of GMS patients rather than the number of GPs concerned.