As people would have seen in recent months, the provision of Free General Practitioner (GP) Care to people with long term conditions is still delayed. In a recent reply to letter requesting further update on the issue, in a letter from the Department, the Minister for Health stated that, “The Government is committed to introducing, on a phased basis, a universal GP service without fees within its first term of office, as set out in the Programme for Government and the Future Health strategy framework”. However, the plan to remove GP fees for people who had Long Term Illness appears to have been abandoned.
Health Care Pledge
To remind readers, The Programme for Government from 2010 proposed many positive changes to the Irish health care system. One of these proposals was a system of Universal Primary Care to remove fees for GP care. According to the Programme, it ‘will be introduced within the Government’s term of Office’. Added to this would be the phased introduction of free access to primary care, starting with people who are under the Long Term Illness Scheme. This scheme is where people with “certain conditions, who are not already medical card holders, can get free drugs, medicines and medical and surgical appliances for the treatment of that condition” (please see the Citizens Information website for details). In 2011 Róisín Shortall TD, then Minister of State for Primary Care at the Department of Health, announced planned changes to the Long Term Illness Card. As part of the Programme for Government, access to GPs was to become free of charge to the approximate 56,000 people on Long Term Illness Cards, similar to the NHS in the UK.
Delay in Service
The reasons given for not going through with access to GPs without fees include “the legal and administrative framework required to provide a robust basis for eligibility for a GP service based on having a particular medical condition is likely to be overly complex and bureaucratic for a short-term arrangement”. In effect, instead of implementing the first phase as proposed in the Programme for Government, no decision was made. Instead, due to legislative issues, there are further delays as alternative options for a phased implementation are discussed.
Effects of Austerity on People with MS
Multiple Sclerosis is one of the conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Card. Living with a degenerative neurological condition is unpredictable and expensive. Relapses, easing of symptoms, health management, medication issues and other aspects of long term health may require more visits to a doctor than people might expect. The insidious nature of this austerity is having a sustained negative effect on people with MS. Ongoing Government negotiations in the run up to Budget 2013 leaves it all very unclear as to when any of the proposals made in the Programme for Government about Universal Healthcare will come to pass.
Budget Call to Action:
Please make contact with your local representatives and TDs, if you are concerned about the upcoming Budget. Remind them of the pledges they made on Healthcare and how further reductions may affect your daily life.