Reilly: Free GP care not abandoned

The under-fire health minister, who again faces calls for his resignation, has rejected suggestions that the Government is abandoning a plan to grant free GP care to people with long-term illnesses.

Conceding that they were “a little bit behind” — the deadline was Mar 2012 — Dr James Reilly said the Government had made no decision to abandon what has long been mooted as the first step in a four-step process leading, eventually, to free GP care for all.

However, while insisting they had “by no means decided not to go the long-term illness route”, he said Junior Health Minister Alex White has been tasked with seeking alternative ways of introducing free GP care on a phased basis.