Row over doctor-only medical cards to be ‘resolved by end of week’

DIFFERENCES between health service employers and administration staff over whether extra staff were needed to process doctor-only medical cards should be ironed out by the end of the week.

The cards, which allow free GP visits but not free medication or physiotherapy, are due to be released in the coming weeks after an 11-month delay.

The IMPACT trade union, which represents administrative staff, yesterday said there was never an industrial dispute over the issue and that just three former health board areas have still to reach agreements on staffing levels.

An IMPACT spokesman said the union first approached the health service employers about resource issues in April.

They felt that either overtime should be negotiated or temporary staff hired for exiting community welfare officers and administration staff.

Spokesman Bernard Harbor said yesterday that the issue was "never at risk of developing into an industrial dispute".

"We expect to have it resolved by the end of the week. We were never seeking extra money. We said that the cards would increase workloads and extra resources should be implemented.

"This need will be most acute when the applications start to come in but the scheme will lead to extra work year-round," he added.

In response to the request, the HSE has been dealing with the issue "on a regional basis" and talks with the HSE Eastern, North-Western and Mid-Western regions are continuing. They are expected to be completed by week's end.

The HSE Employers' Agency had said earlier that there was "no justification for any further delay in the issuing of the cards" and that it had given assurances that resources would be in place.

After months of problems, agreement was finally reached last week between the organisation and the Irish Medical Organisation and the cards should be issued within a month.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, St Vincent de Paul vice-president John Monaghan called on the Tánaiste to further increase the threshold for traditional medical cards.

"There is a huge group of people who cannot afford to go to the doctor people who are on low incomes and are now not looking after their health.

"In the cases of families, they tend to use what they have spare on their children and then we get called in when they can't pay ESB, gas and electricity bills because someone was sick," he said.