GPs to oppose free visits plan for under-6s
The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) accused Mr Varadkar of attempting to buy the next general election, after rival union the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said on Thursday it is backing the changes to help reform the health service.
Under long-stated plans only now coming to fruition, the Department of Health has struck a €67m deal with GPs to gain support for plans to allow children under the age of six to be given free primary care visits.
The agreement, which includes an 83% capitation fee pay hike for GPs, has been framed as one of the most important medical measures for a generation as it means 270,000 more children will access free GP care.
However, while the IMO has encouraged its 5,000 members to support the plan when contracts are sent out in the next four weeks, the NAGP — which was excluded from negotiations —has advised its 1,200 members not to back the deal, and will put the matter to a vote in the coming weeks.
Confirming the stance after an emergency meeting of its 23-strong executive council “unanimously” rejected the Government plan yesterday, NAGP chairman Andy Jordan said giving free GP care to a group based on age instead of need amounted to “medical apartheid” and is simply a bid to buy the next election.
“This deal amounts to nothing more than medical apartheid,” said Dr Jordan. “It is motivated by election votes rather than real patient need. The mortality rate in children less than 18 years of age is 3.8 per 10,000 and the vast majority of those deaths are caused by accidents, not illness.
“At the same time we have 5,000 deaths per year in Ireland from cardiovascular disease, but there is no money to provide free GP care to those patients.
“This [the under-6s policy] will fuel the inequalities already in our health service. There is, without doubt, a desperate need for investment in general practice, but investment needs to be allocated to the areas where it is needed.”
Earlier on RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme, Dr Jordan said the NAGP cannot recommend the under-sixes move as it “won’t solve the problems in general practice” and described Mr Varadkar’s policy as “a little sweetheart deal for another political party”.
“We want to channel money to illness, we want them [Fine Gael] to follow their own manifesto of money follows the patient. But this, there is no patient at all, this is just a group of people where there is nothing wrong with them,” he said.
A Department of Health spokesperson said it was “aware” of the NAGP’s views before the weekend, adding “anything the NAGP say will be looked at”.
While the under-6s stand-off is considered key to the political fortunes of government, it is also central to an ongoing battle between the IMO and NAGP over lucrative membership levels.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
