Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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202. To ask the Minister for Health if according to best public health practice and per population County Kildare has sufficient numbers of general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49970/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General Practitioners are private contractors. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.

Under the provisions of the Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Act 2012, a GP can enter into a State contract to provide GP services provided he/she is on the Medical Council's Specialist Register in the Speciality of General Practice, irrespective of the number of GPs who are already established in an area.

Under the terms of the General Medical Services and GP Visit Card contracts, the maximum number of medical card or GP visit card patients on a GP's patient panel may not exceed 2,000, or 2,200 if the GP also holds an under 6 contract, except in exceptional circumstances. There is no minimum number of patients specified for a panel.

The State does not prescribe the number of private patients that may be registered with a GP; this is a matter for individual GP practices.