Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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416. To ask the Minister for Health if a medical card holder has to pay for blood tests carried out in a GP practice following a request from a consultant endocrinologist after a private appointment with a patient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45533/24]

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. 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.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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417. To ask the Minister for Health if he will introduce a scheme in which online only doctors could accept medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45554/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General practitioners are private practitioners, the majority of whom hold a GMS contract with the HSE to provide medical services without charge to medical and GP visit card holders. Medical card and GP visit card holders are placed on a GP's GMS panel from whom they receive GP services in accordance with the GMS contract.

To support the administration of a comprehensive GP service to GMS patients based primarily on the provision of in-person consultations, the GMS contract provides, amongst other things, for practice supports including supports for practice staff and for the provision of specific in-person medical treatments. Online doctor or video doctor services are limited to the provision of virtual consultations only which are provided to patients on a private basis.

There are no plans at present to introduce a scheme which would allow online only doctors to provide GP services to GMS patients without charge.