Colm Brophy
Ceist:526. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Health the cost of increasing funding to the general practitioner access to community diagnostics scheme by 10%. [45919/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 7 November 2024
Ceisteanna (526)
Freagraí scríofa
The nationwide GP Access to Community Diagnostics programme (GPACD), which began accepting referrals in January 2021, facilitates direct referral by General Practitioners to diagnostics services for their patients.
This structured pathway for GPs to directly access diagnostic tests enables a greater level of care to be delivered in the community, supporting patient-centred care, early diagnosis, and early intervention.
Budget 2025 has allocated €46.0m total funding for GPACD for the continued delivery of directly referred diagnostic tests to the full adult population to end 2025. The HSE’s 2025 National Service Plan (NSP) will confirm the number of scans targeted for next year when published. On the basis of the Budget 2025 funding for the GPACD programme, increasing funding to programme by 10% would cost €4.6m approx.