Senior IMO doctor’s workplace raided

THE Competition Authority has raided the workplace of one of the leading figures in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).

Less than two months ago, the IMO headquarters in Dublin were also raided by the authority and documents were seized.

IMO GP Committee Chairman Dr Martin Daly would not comment on any visit to his practice at Ballygar, Co Galway. The raid happened on Thursday about 11am.

A warrant from the District Court is required before a premises is raided and gardaí are normally present.

The Competition Authority said it would not comment on an ongoing investigation but, according to the Irish Medical Times at the time of the IMO visit, it confirmed all documents which did not relate to its investigation would be returned.

The April raid on the IMO was carried out as part of an investigation into payment arrangements between doctors, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Doctors and insurance companies have been in dispute since last year over fees paid to GPs for reports and examinations on patients who are seeking insurance claims and other services.

It is standard practice GPs fill in Personal Medical Attendance Reports (PMARs) and also carry out medical examination reports on these patients. Reports can only be completed by a GP that the person has been attending for a period of time previous to the incident.

Meanwhile, health service employers have not paid GPs a 1.5% pay increase that they were due on June 1 under the Sustaining Progress pay agreement.

The IMO has referred the issue to the Sustaining Progress National Implementation Board and a spokesman said they were awaiting its deliberations.

“We have satisfied the necessary criteria to be ensured the rise. There is no grounds upon which to stop it,” the spokesman said.

Both sides met at the Labour Relations Commission in recent weeks to discuss outstanding industrial relation issues including the advent of ‘doctor only’ cards. No agreement was reached due to differences over the increased funding of practice nurses.

The Health Service Executive Employers Agency (HSEEA) last night said the pay increase should be dealt with as part of the continuing talks process and “not in isolation.”