Sunday 12th January 2014. The GP Committee of the IMO has called on the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Alex White TD, to engage in urgent talks about the Government’s plans for General Practice including plans to extend free GP care to children under 6.

The call comes following an acknowledgment by Minister Alex White on Saturday with Clare Byrne (RTE) that Primary Care Health services need to be resourced.

Speaking this afternoon, the Chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO Dr. Ray Walley said the Minister “can’t talk about the idea of proper resourcing of Primary Care services in theory while ignoring the need in practice.” Dr. Walley said that the Government has systematically reduced resources to General Practice in recent years by over E150m.”

"While it was now welcome that there is an acknowledgement that more resources are required we need talks now. The Government’s politically inspired stunt to extend free GP services to children under 6 without even attempting to discuss the implications of such a move with the GPs who will have to deliver the service does not give us much confidence that this Government wants to tackle the real need that exists in our health services." Dr Walley on behalf of GPs said “We want better enhanced resources for General Practice so we can do more for our patients.”

Dr Walley also said that the Government needed to explain warnings in a Cabinet Memo (reported today in the Sunday Business Post) that health services may require additional money to “ensure patient safety”.
 

Ends