Free GP cards for kids up to seven years old in 'last expansion' of scheme
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly talking to the media on Tuesday about the rollout of GP Visit Cards to children aged six and seven. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie
The expansion of GP cards to children aged six and seven as well as to adults under a certain income is the “last expansion” of the scheme, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said.
Mr Donnelly and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe announced that GP Visit Cards will be made available to more than 500,000 people across these two groups.
The addition of these children to the free scheme begins on August 11.
Adults earning the median household income will gain access to the free GP card in two phases, from September 11 and November 13.
Mr Donnelly conceded this was “a big ask” of GPs, who have expressed reservations about their ability to deliver the programme.
“This will be the last expansion in terms of GP cards,” he said on Tuesday.
This is despite original Government plans to expand free GP care to all children up to the age of 12.
“It includes nearly 80,006 seven-year-olds and about 430,000 people up to the median income. It's the largest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State,” Mr Donnelly said.
He added this means “more than half the population of Ireland will now have free access to GPs”.
There are a number of income thresholds that adults will have to consider before applying for one of the cards when this rollout begins.
“The weekly income threshold for a single person living alone will increase from €304 to €361 in the first phase, and then to €418 in the second,” the Department of Health said in one example of how the scheme will be applied.
“Similarly, the weekly income threshold for a lone parent will increase from €441 to €524 in the first phase and to €607 in the second,” the department also said.
Among the measures introduced to support this plan is an increase in the number of GP training places.
Doctors have said they are worried about the impact of expanding the GP card scheme.
Chair of the GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation Dr Tadhg Crowley said capacity problems meant GPs were already working under significant pressure every day.
"The reality is that there is no quick fix for our capacity issues and while we welcome more training places being made available, more will need to be done to attract and retain doctors to the system," said Dr Crowley.
He added: "This agreement is a step in the right direction that recognises the need to support general practice but it will not exist in isolation.
"Rather, it is an interim agreement that will act as a bridge to the development of a new model of general practice."
Many doctors are unsure how understaffed GP practices will cope with the increased workload associated with extending free GP care.
Killarney doctor Gary Stack said the countrywide GP shortage was the major issue causing concern among doctors, something which Dr Stack said the Health Minister has been appraised of numerous times.
"His simple reply is 'Oh just increase your nurse capacity' and I'm afraid most practices do not have the infrastructure to significantly increase their nurse capacity as they are already operating at full capacity," he told .
Dr Stack predicted Mr Donnelly will leave a legacy of GP waiting lists that did not exist before he took on the role.
Doctors have an indication of the workload that will accompany the change, which will come into effect in August, as consultations rose by 27% when under-sixes were given doctor visit cards, he said.
Although Mr Donnelly has said it is up to GPs whether they want to take on these patients, Dr Stack said the majority are already GP patients.
"It would be very difficult to turn around to an existing patient and say we will not accept your medical card," he said.
