Donnelly to address IMO as medical card debate continues

When the announcement was made in September, Minister Donnelly accepted there were concerns among GPs, however, he said: 'But ultimately, Government has to decide that it is time to do what we all know needs to be done.'

Wider access to medical cards continues to be a point of dispute between doctors and the health minister, as GPs insist they cannot deliver what Stephen Donnelly has promised the public.

Budget announcements in September included provision for the expansion of free access to doctors for six-and seven-year-old children. It also provided for 430,000 more adults to get GP visit cards based on income.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will address the Irish Medical Organisation’s (IMO) annual general meeting (AGM) today when the debate over access to GPs will continue.

The incoming chair of the IMO GP Committee Dr Tadhg Crowley said studies have shown when appointments are free people are more likely to attend, which will increase demand on already overstretched GPs.

Without significant additional resourcing, GP services will simply be overwhelmed by the increased demand. Appointments may be free but they will be harder to access, leading to the displacement of care for those who need it most.

Practices are already asking patients with non-urgent conditions to wait up to two weeks for an appointment, he said. He called for the plan to be postponed until after an ongoing Department of Health review of the GP sector.

“GP Care that is free at the point of access is a wonderful aspiration, but we must make sure we are actually ready to deliver on that aspiration.”

When the announcement was made in September, Minister Donnelly accepted there were concerns among GPs, however, he said: “But ultimately, Government has to decide that it is time to do what we all know needs to be done.”

The AGM also heard from Waterford GP Austin Byrne who said “a massive upswing” in patient numbers is expected when financial barriers are removed.

These patients may also need referrals to other therapists. However, he said as services splinter into small community centres, delays are caused when staff go on leave or take sick leave.

“We don’t have access to physiotherapy, and why? Because not a single referral has been opened in over six months,” he said.

“This is due to issues of cross-cover, not due to lack of work by an individual employee, not due to a lack of top-down planning, but due to an implementation problem and that is duplicated across the country.

“Timely access is the thing that those of us on the ground feel is really starting to suffer.”