Doctors may form co-op splinter group

LIMERICK CITY GPs may split from other doctors in the mid-west to form their own co-op to provide out-of-hours cover, it emerged yesterday.

It is understood the city doctors were infuriated by the comments of Junior Health Minister Tim O’Malley about their refusal to join Shannondoc, a co-op of about 100 doctors in counties Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, which provides out-of-hours cover.

He told the Irish Examiner last October he did not think Limerick city doctors were putting their patients first by refusing to join Shannondoc, which was set up in September 2003.

More than 70 doctors in the city have refused to join, despite pleas from Mr O’Malley.

City doctors were also angered at comments by Mr O’Malley that the Health Service Executive (HSE) Mid-West could step in and tender for the provision of an out-of-hours GP service in Limerick city, according to the latest edition of the Irish Medical News.

Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney said earlier this year she was determined to have the Shannondoc service introduced in the city.

The HSE had set aside €750,000 to facilitate the Limerick City GPs joining Shannondoc.

Mr O’Malley has said Shannondoc played a major role in reducing numbers at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital’s A&E department due to the availability of an on-call GP at nights, weekends and holidays.

Dr Mary Gray, spokeswoman for Limerick City GPs, said yesterday representatives were in talks with the HSE and are due to report back in January.

The city doctors said they did not want to pay €10,000 a year for Shannondoc membership as they had doctors providing out-of-hours service to city patients.

However, Mr O’Malley said this set-up was ad hoc and not working effectively.

One city doctor told the Irish Medical News that as they were independent of Government they would not be directed on how to structure their out-of-hours service and would not be bullied.