Irish Medical Organisation

IMO GPs respond to Minister for Health’s RTE announcement of Free GP care for all by 2016

“Department has no plan to support Minister’s objective and no appreciation of the resources required to implement it.”

Saturday 2nd November 2013. The GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation has criticised the announcement today by the Minister for Health on RTE radio that he plans to introduce free GP care for every citizen by 2016. Speaking today Dr. Ray Walley, Chairman of the GP Committee said there was “no hope” of meeting this target within the next two years.

Dr. Ray Walley said; “this is government by sound-bite. The Department of Health have no plan to support this objective and no appreciation of the resources required to implement it.”

Dr. Walley said that the key question in respect of free GP care was “who will pay for it”; “Politicians talk up free GP care as if its free for everyone but the reality is that people will still pay for their GP but will simply do so indirectly through their taxes or through an insurance scheme instead of directly as at present.”

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