IMO warns of effect of health cuts

The Government should consider the long-term effects of further cuts to the health budget on the health of the nation, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned.

Speaking in Dublin today, the organisation's president, Prof Sean Tierney, said a lot of the problems currently facing the health service "have their roots" in the recession of the 1980s.

Prof Tierney said the "epidemic" in cardiovascular disease and the increased incidence of diabetes emerged following "drastic" cuts in health spending, particularly in relation to disease prevention and primary care, during the last recession.

Recent developments including the introduction of the prescription charge and indications of a €1 billion budgetary cut in health spending are examples of initiatives which target the ill, the elderly and those on low income, Prof Tierney said.

"As incomes decline people eat cheaper and less healthy meals, drop sports activities, delay visiting their GP and are less likely to afford preventative care," Prof Tierney said.

Practitioners are seeing the effects of the recession "on a daily basis" with patients delaying coming back to the doctor "because of fears of cost," Dr Ronan Boland, chair of the IMO's GP committee, said.

Describing the decision to introduce the prescription charge as "a very unfortunate and regressive step in terms of policy," Dr Boland said patients are already defaulting on taking prescribed medication.

He said patients are "second guessing" whether they need to be on maintenance therapy and patients defaulting on medication will result in them presenting with serious illnesses in 20 year time.

The IMO pre-budget submission calls on the Government to reverse the prescription charge and to implement a "rational approach" to the prescription of generic drugs, which it says could save up to €300 million.

It proposes an "investment approach" to tackle health care issues and ring-fenced funding for the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the prevention of chronic disease and mental health.

The Government could go "some way" towards alleviating the impact upon front-line services if it adopted the recommendations, Prof Tierney said.