Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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183. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners allocated to medical card holders and general practitioner card holders following a refusal of three general practitioners to register them, by CHO area, in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62061/21]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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184. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners allocated to non-medical card holders by the public health system following a refusal of three general practitioners to register them, by CHO area, in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62062/21]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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185. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners allocated to children and infants following a refusal of three general practitioners to register them, by CHO area, in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62063/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 to 185, inclusive, together.

Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Certain groups, including all those under 6 years of age and those over 70 years of age, are automatically entitled to a GP visit card.

Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign a GMS patient to a GP's GMS patient list. Likewise, a parent on behalf of a child GMS patient who experiences difficulty in finding a GP that will accept their child as a patient can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit also.

People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private contractors, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients. The HSE has no role in assigning private patients to a GP practice.

In relation to the number of GPs allocated to medical card and GP visit card patients, and children and infants following three refusals, as these are service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.