GP-only medical card scheme ‘a flop’

THE GP-only medical card scheme has been labelled a complete flop by the Labour Party following revelations that just under 33,000 of the promised 200,000 cards had been issued to the public.

Labour deputy leader and spokeswoman on health Liz McManus said the scheme was one of the greatest Government gimmicks.

Ms McManus pointed out that the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) had recently claimed that the bureaucratic nightmare created by the Health Service Executive (HSE) had deterred people from applying for the card.

The GP-only card, announced prior to the December 2005 Budget, was introduced to enable people, particularly families with young children on moderate incomes, to visit their GP free of charge.

The introduction of the card was delayed after a row with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) that represents doctors.

The HSE, which has issued 32,882 doctor-only cards since October last year, claimed yesterday that it was doing all it could to inform the public about the benefits of GP visit cards.

The health authority also pointed out that income guidelines had been increased considerably since the card was introduced and that income was assessed after tax and PRSI with considerable allowances made for rent or mortgage, childcare expenses and travel to work.

But Ms McManus said it was blatantly obvious that this was a last-minute, poorly thought-out plan designed to divert attention away from the failure to deliver the promised 200,000 full medical cards.