€161m hike in public health scheme funding

THE State, last year, paid €1.43 billion to doctors, pharmacists, dentists and eye experts under a range of public health schemes.

With a stiff increase of €161 million over the previous year, the cost reflected an increasing and ageing population, the General Medical Services (Payments) Board claimed yesterday.

The board said 2.65 million people were registered as eligible for benefit in 2003 compared with 2.58 million in 2002.

The cost of “high-tech” medicines, such as anti-cancer and anti-rejection drug therapies, rose by €23.27m to €103.58m.

More than 5,276 doctors, dentists, pharmacists and optometrists /ophthalmologists provided services under the various schemes.

The total GP bill was €295m, pharmacists’ services rose to €943m while dental fees reached €49m.

A higher number of doctors earned above €240,000 under the GMS scheme last year, up from 229 to 260.

Some 327 pharmacists earned dispensing fees above €120,000 compared to 254 in 2002 while 66 dentists topped €120,000 compared with 56 in 2002.

Meanwhile, the rising medical costs fuelled a 5.8% rise in health inflation between June 2003 and June 2004.

Doctors’ fees rose by 7.7% in the same period, including GP and consultant costs. President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) Dr James Reilly said GP charges had risen on average from between €30-€45 per visit to €35-€50.

GPs were not solely to blame for the price hike, he said.

“We did an economic model of the way general practice was funded and at the moment, we are funding the structure. The Government needs to do more and it could do so by way of tax incentives,” Dr Reilly said. Giving tax incentives to GPs who invest in their practice would have the effect of reducing overheads and would consequently drive down patient charges, he said.

In relation to experts’ fees, a survey conducted earlier this year showed Irish hospital consultants’ charges were higher than the US and a number of European countries. A hysterectomy in Ireland costs €850 while a similar procedure in Germany costs from €160 to €371, in Spain €519 and the US €718.

A hip replacement costs €1,080 in Ireland; in Germany €216 to €496; Spain €714 and the US €1,060.

Hospital service charges rose by 14.4% in the 12 months to June 2004, mainly brought about by the Budget. Services targeted by the Government included A&E which saw a €5 price hike, from €40 to €45 per visit without a medical card. The cost of a private bed was up €5 to €45 for an overnight stay.

Prescribed drugs increased 2.7% between June 2003 and June 2004 while other medicines increased by 0.3%.

Therapeutic appliances, including optician’s fees and spectacles, rose by 3.7%. Dental fees rose 4.7%. The price of a general examination with no x-rays, cleaning or fillings ranged from €15 in Donegal to €70 in Dublin.