Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1808.To ask the Minister for Health the procedure for renewal of a medical card and a family GP visit cards in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35118/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Information on medical card and GP visit card eligibility and how to apply for a card is available from the HSE website. The HSE National Medical Card Unit, contactable at clientregistration@hse.ie or by phone at 0818 22 44 78, can advise persons in relation to card eligibility and on how to apply for or renew a card.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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1809.To ask the Minister for Health if the medical card should cover a GP filling out their requisite section of the domiciliary care allowance application form for their patient and to set out his plans to ensure that medical card recipients do not face administrative fees such as this by their GP; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35122/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess". Persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services including GP consultations.

The HSE reimburses GPs for services provided under the GMS contract to medical and GP visit card holders. Section 11 of the GMS contract stipulates that fees in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences" are not covered by the contract. Any fees charged by GPs for services provided outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the GP and their patient. The requirement for the submission of a medical report as part of an application for Domiciliary Care Allowance is governed by the Department of Social Protection.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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1810.To ask the Minister for Health why the GP-only card does not cover GP-imposed “courier fees” each time blood tests are taken by a GP; his plans to ensure that these costs are included in the GP-only card; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35123/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess". Persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services.

The issue of GPs charging GMS patients for phlebotomy services (blood tests) is complex given the numerous reasons and circumstances under which blood tests are taken. Clinical determinations as to whether a blood test should be taken to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition are made by the GP concerned. There is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card to be charged for clinically necessary blood tests.

In addition, blood tests undertaken in the context of the GP Chronic Disease Management programme are covered by the fees paid to GPs by the HSE for this care.

Where a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes he or she has been incorrectly charged for routine phlebotomy services (i.e. a blood test to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition) by his or her GP, or has been charged for a blood test provided under the Chronic Disease Management programme, then that patient should report the matter to their HSE Local Health Office. The local management, upon being notified of potential inappropriate charging of a GMS patient, shall contact the GP concerned and carry out an investigation into the complaint and will, where appropriate, arrange for a refund of charges incorrectly applied by that GP.

Fees charged by GPs outside the terms of the GMS contracts are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and their patients. The HSE does not have any role in relation to such fees.