PHARMACISTS AND dentists are expected to press the Government to include them in proposed new reforms of the Competition Act which are aimed at allowing the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) to represent GPs in future negotiations with the HSE and Department of Health.
Following consultations with the IMO over planned changes to the over-70s medical card agreement, the Government signalled that it would change competition legislation to allow for more direct talks with GP representatives in the future.
For the past year or so, the HSE and the Department of Health have said that they could not negotiate on fees with representatives bodies for self-employed professionals in the health sector because of Competition Act restrictions.
Unions representing GPs, pharmacists and dentists have all complained that the position of the HSE and the Department of Health prevented them from representing their members.
However, in a statement issued after consultations with the IMO on the over-70s deal, the Government said it was "satisfied that the scope of the engagement by GPs in the delivery of primary healthcare, and the significance of primary healthcare for the overall efficacy of the public health system, makes a more direct form of engagement with the representatives of GPs both necessary and desirable.
"Accordingly, it is the intention of the Government to pursue appropriate amendments to Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 to enable the representative body of GPs, the IMO, to represent its members in negotiations with the HSE and the Department of Health and Children in respect of the services provided to the public health service in a manner consistent with the public interest," the statement said.
"This will not affect in any way the status of the IMO or other representative organisations in respect of medical services other than those delivered by agreement with the public health service," it said.
The Government statement said the legal provision would be subject to consistency with EU competition rules.
However, last week the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) called on the Government to include pharmacists in the proposed reform of competition legislation.
IPU president Liz Hoctor said it was "inconceivable that they would legislate to allow negotiations with one medical representative body and not another".
The Irish Dental Association has also said it would seek to be included in the changes to the competition legislation. It has been involved in a row with the HSE for 18 months over the negotiation of a new fee structure. The HSE had told the association that on legal advice it could not negotiate a new fee deal with it on behalf of its members.
In August it emerged that almost 200 dentists have withdrawn from the State dental scheme for medical card patients as part of the dispute with the HSE.
Ms Hoctor told the IPU's annual president's dinner last week that pharmacists had indicated that they were willing to engage in talks to secure "significant savings in the national medical bill" as part of a wider discussion on a new pharmacy contract.