Irish Medical Organisation

IMO "grave concern" at Government threat to remove children from GP's GMS lists

Thursday 17th April 2014. The Irish Medical Organisation has expressed "grave concern" at suggestions that the Government intends to force GPs to sign up to the highly controversial new GMS Contract or lose their existing GMS patients who are under the age of six. Dr. Ray Walley, Chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO said that on the basis of newspaper reports today, the Government seemed to be reversing its previous stance that GPs would be under no obligation to sign up to the new contract.

Dr. Walley said "this approach suggests that the Government has no interest in negotiations and is more interested in effectively coercing GPs to sign up or else. This may constitute a breach of the constitutional rights of GPs to earn a livelihood and it runs completely against the legally binding GMS contracts already in place between GPs and the HSE."

The IMO has written to Minister Alex White seeking clarification on this matter and requesting "by return" a copy of the draft legislation which was cleared by Cabinet yesterday but which has not yet been seen by the IMO or GPs generally.

Dr. Walley said; "If the Government proceeds on this basis, they will make a difficult situation, an impossible one." The IMO confirmed to Minister White that it had received his proposal for a meeting to explore a potential framework for engagement and is considering this proposal.

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