Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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173. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to address the lack of availability of dentists who treat medical card patients in counties Kildare and Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26587/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that a significant number of dentists chose to leave the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) during the pandemic and that this led to some medical card patients having difficulties accessing treatment under the Scheme. Following consultation with the Irish Dental Association, I have approved new measures to provide for both expanded dental health care for medical card holders and increased fees for dental contractors.

The changes to the Scheme, which came into effect at the beginning of this month, are interim measures designed to secure services for medical card holders pending a more substantive reform of dental services to align with the National Oral Health Policy. Work on that longer-term project has already commenced and it is estimated that it will take 1-2 years to complete.

The HSE will assist anyone who is still experiencing problems accessing a service.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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174. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to address the lack of availability of general practitioners that treat medical card patients in counties Kildare and Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26588/22]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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212. To ask the Minister for Health if he will examine and address the lack of general practitioners in Kilcock and Maynooth, County Kildare; if there are plans in place to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26710/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 212 together.

Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Currently there are 2,549 GPs contracted to provide services under the GMS Scheme. Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP. As of the 1st of May 2022, there are no GMS vacancies in Co. Kildare or Co. Laois.  

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. 

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. Where a GP practice has a full list of patients and cannot take on new patients, patients should contact other GP practices in the surrounding areas.   

The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice and is working to ensure patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future.

The 2019 Agreement on GP contractual reform and service development will see the Government increase annual investment in general practice by approximately 40% (€210 million) between 2019 and 2023. The Agreement provides for increased support for GPs working in rural practices and for those in disadvantaged urban areas, and for improvements to maternity and paternity leave arrangements.  In addition, the number of GPs entering training has been increased steadily over the past number of years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with an intake of 258 planned for this year.

These measures will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.