Only half of GPs sign up for U-6s scheme

Large swathes of the country will not have access to the free GP care for under sixes, it has emerged.

Latest figures from the HSE show that just 53%, or 1,279, of the 2,414 doctors who hold medical contracts have signed up.

However, in parts of the country fewer than a third have signed up, according to a survey of local health offices across the country. In Tipperary South, in particular, just 4 doctors out of 51 (8%) had returned contracts.

In Cork City, just 23% and 32% have signed up in the south and north Lee local health areas respectively. The uptake is also low in West Cork, at just 29%, yet in the north of the county it rises to 80%.

The contract position shows 45% have signed up in Kerry; 68% in Clare; 29% in Limerick ; 46% in North Tipperary and East Limerick and 65% in Waterford.

In Dublin City, there is a varied uptake ranging from 32% in the south-east of the city to 64% in the north central region.

Donegal has the highest number of GPs signed up at 93%, followed by Roscommon at 90%.

The National Association of GPs, which is opposed to the scheme, points out that almost half of the country’s GPs have not signed up.

NAGP spokeswoman, Dr Yvonne Williams, said there would be large areas of the country where parents of children under the age of six will not have a GP to register with.

“GPs will not be able to take on a patient who lives a 30 or 40-minute drive from them. That would be unsafe,” said Dr Williams.

Some GPs who have signed up will be in a minority in some counties and their existing patients would suffer.

“Older people and people who are sick are going to find that they will have to wait up to a week or even two to see a GP,” said Dr Williams.

Earlier this year, the NAGP warned that people would have to travel further and wait longer for an appointment with a GP in rural areas as more practices were abandoned.

In March there were 24 unfilled practices around the country and research suggests Ireland could lose up to a third of its GPs by 2020.

“There are GP positions left unfilled for years. There have been positions that have been advertised up to four times that nobody has applied for,” she said.

Dr Williams said the Government had cut the rural practice allowance and got rid of distance coding that allowed GPs to make house calls to older people unable to attend a surgery.

“It is not feasible for any young GP to try and establish a practice in rural Ireland at the moment and a lot of the GPs that are in rural areas are getting close to retirement.” Dr Williams said.

The NAGP that represented about half of GPs had warned that GPs would not sign up for the under sixes contract because it was not a good deal for patients.

“Very few, if any, of our members, have signed up for it. Some GPs are in debt and are under pressured to do so but most have not signed up,” said Dr Williams.

“I think the Government is putting politics before patients,” she said.

The HSE confirmed yesterday that parents can begin to register their children online for the free GP care from next Monday. The new service will commence from July 1.

The health authority said it was continuing to receive signed contracts from GPs and would process them and update the list showing the contract position up to and beyond the start of public registration for the new scheme next week.

The Irish Medical Organisation, which negotiated the scheme with the HSE, believes most GPs will sign it in time. However, the NAGP is opposed to the scheme in its current format and is angry that Health Minister Leo Varadkar has refused to negotiate with them.

“There will be lots of places throughout the country where children will not be able to find a GP and places where only a minimum number of GPs will have signed up,” said Dr Williams.