Reilly confirms bill on GPs’ medical card access

SERIOUS restrictions on the number of GPs who can access the lucrative medical card patient treatment bracket are to be removed “as a priority” under legislation called for by the EU/IMF deal.

Health Minister James Reilly, who is also a GP, has confirmed senior Government figures have “given approval to the drafting, as a priority” of the bill.

The legislation, which was also called for by the Competition Authority last year, will focus specifically on changing existing general medical card scheme (GMS) contract arrangements.

Under current rules only certain GPs qualify for this scheme, resulting in claims of a major bias in favour of established GPs and against newly qualified doctors.

In addition, the existing system also limits the number of GP clinics, has resulted in the emigration of newly qualified doctors and — importantly for patients — places restrictions on competition among primary care doctors.

The latter point affects prices, hitting the general public and those with medical cards, a group which the state pays GPs additional sums to treat.

The change in the law was earmarked as part of the EU/IMF programme of financial support for Ireland, which called for the elimination of restrictions on the number of GPs who qualified for GMS contracts.

When the plan was mooted in May, Dr Reilly said the move was unavoidable as “the IMF aren’t at the gate, they are in the parlour and they are looking over our homework every Friday”. At the time, he said actions such as the GMS contract were moves “we should have been taking up anyway”.

The proposed bill’s main features include:

*Allowing the HSE to enter into a contract with “any suitably qualified and vocationally trained GP” to treat medical card patients.

*Ending the use of the argument that a GP will no longer be “viable in an area” if they do not continue to receive GMS contracts.

*Allowing new GMS contract holders initially to begin a practice in the location of their choice, before seeking agreement with the HSE if they move locations

Dr Reilly said: “The proposed bill will result in medical card and GP visit card patients having a greater choice of GPs under the GMS scheme.

“It will also ensure that any suitably qualified doctor who wishes to obtain a GMS contract will be free to do so.”

The Department of Health’s annual report for 2010, published last month, said the legislation is expected to be in place by the third quarter of this year, which ends this month.