€55 IS TOO MUCH! HARRIS DECLARES WAR ON GP FEES
Doctors furious as minister insists parents paying too high a price
HEALTH Minister Simon Harris has infuriated GPs by warning them that the €55 they charge families is ‘too expensive’. He told doctors he would ‘not compromise’ on his view that this is an unacceptable price for parents to pay to keep children healthy.
However, GPs immediately hit back last night, with the National Association of General Practitioners declaring that ministers could not ‘interfere’ with what doctors charge their patients.
Mr Harris, who is in the middle of negotiating new contracts with the medics, revealed that he is also considering subsidising GP fees or allowing patients
a number of free visits a year. He said he is championing the people who ‘get up early in the morning’ and go to work, insisting: ‘I believe discussions about primary care cannot just be about those with a medical card, it has to be about the affordability.’
Mr Harris outlined his strong stance as a new report revealed that as many as a third of patients balk at the idea of going for a check-up because of the high cost. He said: ‘I still believe too many parents go to bed at night worried about being able to pay the €55-60 for their child to see the doctor in the morning.’
Speaking as he launched the new HSE-commissioned report on GP and primary care services, entitled Building A Better GP And Primary Care Service, Minister Harris said: ‘I am willing to discuss it with GP representative bodies about how to best make it a reality, but I am not willing to compromise on that fundamental tenet that the €55 or €60 is too expensive for many people who, as the Taoiseach would say, “get up early in the morning” and go to work. I don’t want parents worried about being able to access primary care, so we do need to look at that, as we have our discussions.’
He added: ‘I understand that GP representative bodies have
‘Is that price costing lives?’
concerns about free GP care, and I get some of those concerns, but I will not compromise, from my perspective, on the point of view of parents having to fork out €55-€60 to go to the doctor, that that’s an acceptable level.’
He declined to put a figure on how much GP appointments should cost but indicated the taxpayer could pay some of it.
He said: ‘I have mentioned the idea of co-payment... We have copayment in relation to pharmacies, in relation to drugs. Or indeed a certain number of visits a year, that’s something we can look at but the current system is out of kilter with a lot of international best practice.’
However, the National Association of General Practitioners, which represents almost 2,000 GPs, said ministers could not tell family doctors what to charge.
Chief executive Chris Goodey told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘You can’t start interfering in what GPs are charging their patients. It depends on the location of the GPs, some GPs charge less, some charge more because they have got higher rates, higher rents. You can’t start interfering with general practice.
‘That’s like saying getting haircuts is too expensive, so we’re going to have all hairdressers now charge a tenner to get a haircut.’
He also cautioned against extending free GP care to the under-12s, saying doctors are already overwhelmed in dealing with free care for the under-sixes.
He said: ‘We’ve seen a 60% increase in visitations. What’s happening is those with chronic illnesses, the frail elderly are being displaced and ending up in hospital unnecessarily. So it’s all very well to introduce free GP care for under-12s, I’m just not sure that it’s a priority for a minister.
‘Are we deciding that parents are more entitled to GP care than the frail elderly under 70? I think GPs prefer to see people that need to be seen. We’re not putting in enough resources to provide that service. Someone is going to have to decide who is the priority and the GPs’ perspective is that the priority is the people who need to be seen instead of an age cohort.’
However, Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients’ Association welcomed the minister’s comments. He said the fact that one in three are deferring going to their GP because of cost is quite shocking, adding: ‘Is that cost costing lives? We know in Ireland that cancers are diagnosed at a very late stage, we’re trying to convince those, say, with a persistent cough, to go back to their GPs to get checked. If they’re going to put it off because of the €60 visit they’re going to have a shorter life.’
A survey of 130 GP clinics by the Mail this summer revealed some patients are paying as much as €65 for a visit. The average cost in Dublin was €61, in Leitrim it was €42. Slievemore General Practice in Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, was one of the most expensive, at €65 for a standard consultation.
The practice said higher costs and cuts in State funding are forcing it to raise its prices.
The survey also found around 4% of GPs were still not providing free care for the under-sixes, two years after it was rolled out.