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Seven out of ten doctors surveyed by the IMO believe that insurance companies are increasingly dictating the delivery of medical care and the same number expressed concern that private health insurance companies do not always promote evidence-based care.

The survey result was published by the IMO as part of a broader Policy Paper on commercialism in medicine - Preserving Medical Professionalism in an Increasingly Commercial Healthcare Environment. The paper was published at the organisation’s AGM in Sligo today.

The paper said that IMO doctors found that private health insurance reimbursement favours admission to hospital above day treatment, outpatient care or care in the community. The paper also said that many doctors were critical of the willingness of private health insurance companies to reimburse more expensive MRIs over less expensive diagnostic procedures whether the tests are clinically indicated or not.

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General Practice is the most cost effective and efficient part of the Irish Health Service, but unfortunately due to successive reductions and cuts it is in severe difficulty. It is only continuing to operate due to the commitment and work of the Practitioners providing the service.

One of the hardest hit areas of general practice is Rural General Practice.

The difficulties faced by Rural General Practice are many and have a variety of different causes. The purpose of this paper is to set out some of the more prevalent causes of these difficulties, the problems these cause Rural Practitioners and finally to look at short, medium and longer term solutions to these issues going forward.

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Addiction and dependency remains one the most challenging public health policy issues of recent times. Since the 1960s, the consumption of illegal drugs and alcohol has increased to a point where over one-quarter of all Irish adults now state that they have used an illegal psychoactive substance recreationally, and more than half of all Irish adults are classified by World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria as harmful drinkers.

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