Doctors threaten to end house call-outs

THE era of the familydoctor making out-of-hours house calls could become a thing of the past because of a halving of the fee paid to GPs to make the trip, doctors warned at the weekend.

The fee reduction, from €93.24 to €45, took effect after the December Budget and is threatening the viability of general practice in rural areas, according to members of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).

It could also push up the number of patients attending emergency departments if doctors choose to reduce the number of house calls they make on foot of the cut in fees.