Fine Gael and Labour at odds over universal free GP care

Fine Gael and Labour are at odds over plans to introduce universal free GP care within the next five years.

Tánaiste Joan Burton insisted the plan can be implemented by 2020 as proposed in the renewed Programme for Government last year.

However, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar insisted the proposals were unrealistic and called on the Labour Party to detail how it will find the resources and the GPs necessary.

“There is a long history of political parties of all types making ambitious and utopian promises about health in the run-up to the election,” he said on Wednesday.

“I see Sinn Féin promising to recruit 250 obstetricians and gynaecologists, given that we train 10-12 a year, I would love to know how they are going to do that.

“I see some of the socialist parties proposing an entire national health service within five years, what Fine Gael is promising is realistic, unrealistic promises are no good to anyone.

“It’s up to Labour to demonstrate how they would train the additional GPs to deal with the additional demand. We train 170 GPs a year, it takes four years to train a GP and we already know that we are short.”

Mr Varadkar confirmed earlier this week Government plans to introduce free GP care for all citizens had been dropped from the Fine Gael party’s manifesto.

Instead it will commit to all under 18s and older people with chronic illnesses availing of the scheme by 2020.

Fine Gael sources said 2,000 GPs would be required to implement the plan over the next five years when only 170 are trained every year in Ireland.

Labour is retaining the proposal in their general election manifesto, insisting it can be achieved despite the lack of GPs.

Asked why the party was sticking with the policy Tánaiste Joan Burton said: “I think the answer to that is to ask Leo Varadkar a question; why don’t we train-up more GPs?

“We have some of the smartest, best educated young people in Western Europe. We know, for instance, that when the OECD released their recent survey on numeracy and proficient in maths, Ireland’s ratings had soared.

“So let’s have a future for those bright you people and let’s encourage them to become doctors and nurses. There is a worldwide shortage of doctors and nurses, I agree with him on that and we need to attract more people into those professions.”

Ms Burton said she had raised her concerns with the Minister for Health who later said he had no recollection of such a conversation taking place.

Free GP care was initially intended to be rolled out by the end of the Government’s term of office in 2016 but has been beset by delays.

Many doctors refused to co-operate with the under 6s and over 70s scheme introduced last June while others have insisted the move has seen an increase in unnecessary patient attendance.

The Programme for Government agreed in 2011 said “universal primary care will remove fees for GP care and will be introduced within this Government’s term of office”.

The revised statement of Government priorities agreed last year said the Coalition “remain committed to the introduction of a universal GP service for the entire population as part of Universal Health Insurance, in line with the Programme for Government”.

It said the next groups to be focused on were six- to 11-year-olds and 12- to 17-year-olds respectively.