Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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1024. To ask the Minister for Health if he will introduce a scheme in which online doctors could accept medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18730/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General practitioners are private practitioners, the majority of whom hold a GMS contract with the HSE to provide medical services without charge to medical and GP visit card holders. To support the administration of a comprehensive GP service to GMS patients based as standard on the provision of in-person consultations, the GMS contract provides for, amongst other things, administrative related practices, practice supports, and the provision of specific in-person medical treatments. Online doctor or video doctor services are limited to provision of virtual consultations which are provided to patients on a private basis.

The 2019 GP Agreement for contractual reform and service development provides for the implementation and increased utilisation of a range of eHealth measures to improve the efficiency of health and GP services. However, there are no plans at present to introduce a scheme which would allow online-only doctors to provide GP services to GMS patients without charge.