Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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310. To ask the Minister for Health the number of nights that there has been no doctor available in Navan North East Doctor On-Call in the past 24 months. [45340/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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GPs contracted under the General Medical Services Scheme are required by their contract to make suitable arrangements to enable contact to be made with them, or a locum or deputy, for emergencies outside of normal practice hours. While there is no obligation on GPs to participate in GP out of hours co-operatives as a means of meeting their contractual requirement, such services facilitate the provision of GP services outside of normal surgery hours and help to spread the burden of this provision.

While the HSE provides significant funding to support out of hours co-operative services through service level agreements, GP out of hours cooperatives are private organisations. The HSE maintains regular contact with the out of hours service providers, and over the past two years in particular there has been greater engagement to ensure that the services continue to provide the supports needed by local communities.

In relation to GP availability in the Navan North East Doctor On Call centre as this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.