Dentists and GPs hold key to promise of free care for children
THE promise of free GP care for children under eight, extending the scheme currently available to the under sixes, is likely to benefit around 70,000.
The Budget also pledges to introduce free dental care for all children under six, covering more than 403,000 youngsters.
The move is part of the “family friendly” theme of the Budget and should mark a saving for parents who can face a private fee of around €50 if they need to see the family doctor.
The proposed measures will not come into effect until next autumn and both are dependent on agreeing fees with groups representing GPs and dentists.
Both sets of professionals will have the right to opt out and it is expected some GP practices may decide not to become involved because they are too busy.
There is also the fear the extension could put the GP out-of-hours services, which are also coping with many under-sixes, would come under even more pressure.
The exact cost is yet unclear, but funding is being allocated from the €53m which is being set aside for various measures such as the cuts in the prescription charge for medical card holders.
The biggest resistance – which is likely to be the job of the next Government’s health minister – is likely to come from dentists.
The Irish Dental Association said it was concerned at shifting care of children to private dentists instead of the current public dental service.
It said yesterday it believed the approach being advocated was misguided and would not realise better oral health outcomes for children. It raised the expectations of parents without having any detailed implementation plan in a dental system which had been “depleted by inadequate resources”, it said.