Sir, – The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) adamantly believes that the deal for children under six does not serve the best interests of general practice or patients. The mortality rate in children less than 18 years of age is 3.8 per 10,000 and the vast majority of those deaths are caused by accidents, not illness. A total of 5,000 Irish people die from cardiovascular disease every year, but there is no money to provide free GP care to those patients.
The proposal will fuel the inequalities that exist in our health service. The proposed asthma scheme will only be available to children between two and four; the diabetes scheme will only be available to people who already qualify for a medical card or doctor-only card; the under-six scheme will exclude medicines, X-rays, blood tests, A&E visits, etc. It is simply a political stroke.
The truth is that GPs cannot afford to sign this contract. The funding on offer will barely cover the cost of providing the service, which equates to an extra 4.5 million consultations per year. It certainly does not represent the financial lifeline it is being portrayed as.
There is, without doubt, a desperate need for investment in general practice but investment needs to be allocated to the areas where it is needed – rural practice, general practice in deprived urban areas, comprehensive chronic disease management and existing services which are buckling under the present demand.
The NAGP has repeatedly warned that general practice is at breaking point. There is simply no capacity to take on an extra 4.5 million consultations per year. An equivalent of €220 million in funding has been removed from the sector in the last four years through successive and disproportionate cuts. This has resulted in significant reductions in staff and other resources. These issues must be addressed through the negotiation of a new GMS contract before GPs can take on any additional workload.
It is not the NAGP’s job to help any Government party to get re-elected. We have two responsibilities – to represent general practitioners and to advocate for all our patients. That is what we will continue to fight for. – Yours, etc,
Dr ANDY JORDAN,
National Association
of General Practitioners,
Dublin 2.