Government still unclear on extra GP numbers

THE Government still does not know how many extra GPs will be needed to extend free primary care to all within the next four years, it has emerged.

Minister for State for Primary Care Roisín Shortall admitted yesterday that the additional number would be ‘considerable’ but she could not give an exact figure.

She said a study of the additional number of doctors needed would be completed by the end of the year. “The study I have commissioned will give good hard figures in that regard,” she said.

Ms Shortall, speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, said the cost of free GP care for all was estimated at €400 million a year — about 3% of the health budget.

The Irish Patients’ Association warned that the primary care system could collapse if private patients who convert to the new universal system develop visiting patterns similar to current medical card patients. It said the workload for existing GPs would increase by around 150%.

Ms Shortall said there was a high number of GPs trained in Ireland who had been forced to go abroad to find work. She said there were a lot of “blackspots”, particularly in disadvantaged areas, where there was inadequate primary care and that had to be addressed.

Ms Shortall also referred to the Government’s plan to open up access to medical card patients to all qualified GPs. She hoped that a bill to give legal effect to the plan would be dealt with within a matter of weeks.

She said she had contacted the HSE to ensure it would be ready to open up the system once the legislation is implemented, pointing out that the health authority was currently accepting applications from qualified GPs.

“I would certainly urge any GPs who want to get involved in the General Medical Services scheme to contact the HSE to get the paperwork in place so they are ready to go as soon as the legislation is passed,” she said.

The HSE has increased the number of GP training places from 132 to 157.