MICHAEL McDOWELL,
Sir, - Labour has outlined, as a "non-negotiable" pre-condition for participation in Government, that all GP services should be made available free of charge to everyone regardless of means. I described this proposal as "crazy". I have been challenged in these columns by, among others, Charles Foster (April 4th) who disputes my description.
He describes his UK experience in which his GP was part of a group practice in a building which housed health visitors and services such as cancer screening, physiotherapy and chiropody.
Such arrangements are not the norm in Ireland, unfortunately. The National Health Strategy published by the Government proposes to address the development of GP services in the same direction. To have GP services of that kind in Ireland will take at least the lifetime of the next Government and will absorb very considerable resources.
The Labour Party, however, fixes as its non-negotiable pre-condition that the existing GP service be made free for all. The minimum annual cost of such a proposal this year is estimated to be €465.3 million! On top of that would be the cost of renegotiating terms of employment with the GPs - bringing the annual cost of making our underdeveloped GP system universally free closer to €600 million.
Faced with a choice of putting scarce resources into developing our existing GP services into well resourced group practices such as Mr Foster describes, or spending hundreds of millions of euro making the present inadequate service universally free, no sane person would opt for Labour's non-negotiable folly. Any fair-minded person would prioritise the use of public funds to bring about a good, part private/part public GP service rather than a free, sub-standard service.
By the way, I am well aware that making appointments to see a GP is usual; the Labour proposal would simply mean that the waiting list for appointments would grow and grow. This is a case of common sense being driven out by out-dated ideology; and it was interesting to hear Avril Doyle on radio dismiss Labour's "non-negotiable" demand as a low priority.
Who are we to believe? Or does it matter anyway? - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL McDOWELL,
The Triangle,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.