THE GOVERNMENT is to reduce by 5 per cent the fees paid to GPs and other healthcare professionals involved in taking smear tests under the national cervical screening programme.
The fees payable to those who provide cervical smear-taking services to the National Cancer Screening Service under the CervicalCheck programme. will be reduced from €51.69 to €49.10.
The cuts are being implemented under the terms of financial emergency legislation introduced last year.
The Department of Health said last night that the percentage reduction in the fees reflected the level of pay cuts imposed on public service staff on the first €30,000 of salary.
“This level was chosen having regard to the fact that the average level of payments to contractors is estimated at about €8,000 in 2010”, it stated.
The department has estimated that the new fee cuts will generate around €622,000 in savings.
It said the new fee rates would come into effect from next month. The move, which was decided following a review and consultation period, represents the second reduction in fees paid to those involved in smear-taking in the past 18 months or so.
In May 2009, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, introduced an 8 per cent cut in fees paid to GPs and others, such as family planning clinic staff, involved in providing cervical smear-taking services under the CervicalCheck programme.
Last month the Government reduced the level of fees paid to consultant psychiatrists for serving on mental health tribunals by 8 per cent.
Under the provisions of the financial emergency legislation introduced last year, Ms Harney, decided to reduce the fees paid from €428 to €394 per case.
The fees payable to independent consultants under the tribunal process will be cut from €535 to €492 per case. The scope for further reductions in fees for other health service professionals such as GPs, dentists, optometrists, is being considered.
Ms Harney has decided that the fee levels paid to pharmacists would not be reviewed again.
