GPs offer colleagues free consultations

WHEN it comes to perks of the job, some are better than others and members of the medical profession do rather well by availing of free consultations and treatment from colleagues.

Dr Ronan Boland, a GP in Cork city, confirmed there was a “long-standing custom” where doctors don’t charge each other for healthcare. Moreover, such munificence is often extended to a doctor’s family.

Hospital consultants are equally generous to colleagues. Donal Duffy, assistant general secretary of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said it was “fair to say” that where consultants were well known to each other, “there would be some pro bono work done”.

Mr Duffy said there was no formal agreement and it was down to the individual consultant to decide whether to raise a charge.

Other hospital workers such as nurses may also benefit, he said. For example, in the area of obstetric care, a consultant may decide to waive his professional fee for a colleague. This can result in savings to the patient averaging €4,000-€5,000.

The fee, to cover the cost of pre-natal and ante-natal care, as well as the birth, is paid up-front by the majority of private patients to the consultant. Some of this cost is later reimbursed by the health insurer.

Dr Boland said doctors who “know each other socially” did offer colleagues and their families free consultations from time to time but that it was “a tricky area to navigate”: “It is an area that most medics feel uncomfortable about, in fact it can be uncomfortable for both parties, and I think in many cases the medics family would be as happy to pay to keep things on an even keel.”

GP consultations usually cost €50-€60 for non medical card holders.

Dr Boland said he personally would prefer to pay for a service so that everyone “knows where they stand”.

“There’s a lot to be said for maintaining a normal doctor/patient relationship,” Dr Boland said.

Fine Gael health spokes- person, Dr James Reilly, himself a GP, said it was “up to the individual whether or not to charge”.

He also said pro bono work was “not restricted to doctors”, and tradesmen such as plumbers also did work for free for colleagues.

He said while he did not have a difficulty with doctors waiving charges for colleagues, he would have an issue if pro bono work was done “using public facilities and a private patient was not being charged”.

GP earnings are highlighted each year when the Health Service Executive (HSE) publishes details of payments made to family doctors under the general medical services schemes.

In 2009, the top earning GP practice received more than €767,000 including a practice support payment of more than €85,000. This does not include private patient consultation fees.

Hospital consultants working exclusively in the public system are paid salaries of up to €240,000.