Doctor-only cards to be available within weeks

DOCTOR-only medical cards, which were announced 10 months ago, should be available for use within weeks after the Department of Health and doctors sorted out their outstanding problems with the scheme yesterday.

It was also agreed that a full renegotiation of the overall medical card contract will begin next week.

The introduction of the 200,000 doctor-only cards, which allow free GP visits but not free medication, has been beset with problems from the outset.

The latest set of problems to stall the project centred around the amount GPs would be paid when the doctor-only cardholder turned 70 and became entitled to a full medical card.

It was agreed yesterday that doctors will be paid their standard medical card fee when their doctor-only patients hits 70, but the issue will re-opened in the next week’s contract negotiations.

If the matter isn’t resolved, the issue could go to third party arbitration next spring, according to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).

IMO GP Committee chairman, Dr Martin Daly, said they had sought “clarifications” at the LRC in relation to “maintaining the integrity of the existing medical card schemes”.

“Those clarifications have been made to the IMO’s satisfaction. And we are now calling on her (Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney) to also introduce the 30,000 full medical cards she promised last Autumn. These cards did not require negotiation with the IMO and only 176 additional cards have been introduced so far this year,” Dr Daly said.

Ms Harney said last night that another major advertising campaign for doctor-only cards would begin shortly and that the cards were ready for posting.

Health Service Executive CEO, Professor Brendan Drumm, also welcomed the agreement saying: “GPs are central to the reform programme and this agreement reflects their commitment to making it easier for the community to access healthcare.”

According to the Government, the new €50 million scheme means that 1.4 million people will now be able to access their GP for free.

The Tánaiste said the new scheme meant that four times as many people would now have the cards than would have had if the same budget was used to introduce more traditional medical cards.