The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has urged for simplification of the extended GP card scheme, during the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) conference held in Killarney. Donnelly expressed concern over the “poor” response to the free GP visit cards, pinning the blame on the complex application system which is promised to be improved.
Despite attempts to broaden the scheme last year with the intentions of enabling an extra 430,000 people to receive free doctor consultations, the actual response has been less than 10 per cent. This, according to doctors, can be attributed to patients either being uninformed about their right to these benefits or deterred by the intricacies of the application process.
According to Dr Madeleine Ní Dhálaigh, a member of the IMO’s GP committee based in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, there is insufficient advertisement of the scheme. She frequently encounters patients and families who are eligible but unaware of the scheme. Even those who are aware opine that the application process, which analyses both income and expenditure, on the website is overly complex. Dhálaigh believes that this is the reason for poor adaptation, particularly as the card could be greatly beneficial to young families.
Reiterating on the issue, Donnelly informed IMO members on Friday that there was “poor” adaptation but assured that the Health Service Executive would intervene to rectify the situation. He stated though there was high adaptation among parents with kids aged seven and eight, those up to the median income level showed particularly low participation.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been requested to urgently reassess the application forms for free access to GP care, according to the Minister. In his view, the complexity of the forms is likely dissuading people from applying. Their simplification could potentially benefit the over 400,000 individuals who have yet to benefit from the initiative.
The Minister also suggested the need for a comprehensive communication strategy and increased public awareness to encourage uptake. Most importantly, he stressed the necessity of simplifying the process.
Responding to the Mid-West Hospital Campaign’s criticism of government interventions at University Hospital Limerick as mere “band-aids”, the Minister disputed this by reminding them of the significant government support the facility has received. This includes the addition of 1,100 healthcare staff during this government’s tenure. He further noted the critical role the hospital’s consultants have in improving patient management.
The Minister also reported that close to half of the nation’s 4,300 hospital consultants have signed the public-only contract.
In response to queries about the possible misuse of physician associates in hospitals to cover the shortfall of doctors, the Minister admitted he was not aware of any specific instances. He encouraged the highlighting of any occurrences and reaffirmed that each healthcare professional should only take on tasks for which they are trained and licensed.
The president of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Denis McCauley, shared the organisation’s concerns that the emerging cadre of physician associates may be employed by hospitals to cover the dearth of doctors. He insisted that this new role should be thoroughly regulated.