IMO calls for new Government approach to free GP care

The ongoing roll out of free GP care at point of access on the basis of a patient's age was not evidence- based and the Government should change its approach, the president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has said.

Prof Trevor Duffy said a better option would be for the Government to increase the income limits year on year so that additional patients from the lowest income groups would be covered.

He suggested it should take place at the same time as a resourced system to manage chronic disease categories is introduced.

Speaking after a meeting with the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, Prof Duffy said the IMO was willing to engage positively and energetically with him but demanded to be taken seriously as a key stakeholder.

He said that “too often governments have sought to dictate to doctors rather than to engage with them”.

“We believe we have a valuable contribution to make to the development of more efficient, fairer health services in this country and our role on the front line of the services means our voice must be heard.”

Prof Duffy said the IMO wanted a constructive and positive relationship with the Department of Health built on mutual respect and co-operation with a view to tackling the problems facing doctors and patients in the Irish health services.

He said the growing numbers of doctors leaving the country represented the “biggest personnel crisis the Irish health service has ever faced and it needs an urgent response”.

“Doctors are voting with their feet and leaving the Irish health services for jobs with better pay and better conditions in other countries. In the past this used to affect younger more recently qualified consultants who would travel abroad for a few years and then return. But today we are seeing consultants leaving and not coming back and we are seeing experienced GPs packing up and moving their families to new countries.”

He said the health service was “reeling from the impact of cuts in successive budgets “

“We estimated that the health budget has been cut by €4 billion since 2008 or 27 per cent. This had led to 12,000 fewer staff, 900 fewer hospital beds, longer waiting lists and a crisis in morale for doctors and other health professionals.”

On the issue of universal health insurance proposed by the Government , Prof Duffy called for an open and transparent examination and consultation on alternative models of delivering universal health care such as social insurance and taxation models.

Meanwhile former IMO chief executive George McNeice, who left the organisation with a retirement package of over €9 million two years ago, today gave evidence at a Rights Commissioner hearing involving the doctors’ union and its director of communications Maria Murphy over sick leave entitlements .

An outcome is expected at a later date.