The Department of Health and Children has proposed that the Department of Finance provide an additional £90 million this year to the General Medical Services Board to ease its deepening financial problems.
The board's unaudited accounts for 1998 showed it had borrowings of £63.6 million and was owed £125.8 million by the Department of Health and Children and the eight health boards, according to the report.
The GMS board makes payments to general practitioners, pharmacists and dentists who have contracts with the health boards.
The health boards reimburse the GMS board for a variety of schemes, including drug cost subsidisation, long-term illness, dental treatment, childhood immunisation and methadone treatment. These payments account for 20 per cent of the GMS board's payments.
The Department of Finance approved a £59 million overdraft for the GMS board last December but requested a review of the board's funding flow be completed by the end of May to identify and resolve the problems.
Of the additional £90 million being sought, the Department of Health wants £50 million to be provided on a once-off basis. This would allow the board's overdraft fall to approximately £14 million.
As part of the revised arrangements being considered by the Department of Finance, all non-pay expenditure would be treated as demand led, and pay expenditure would be fully recouped, provided the pay agreements applicable were accurately and appropriately applied, Mr Purcell said.
The GMS board currently submits a return for the month ahead, showing its projected expenditure and funding requirement.
A further set of monthly figures is also with the board for submission to the GMS division and finance unit of the department.