THE PROMISED provision of free GP care for 60,000 people with long-term illnesses is likely to be delayed by at least a year because of legal issues.
Successive deadlines for implementing one of the key promises in the Fine Gael/Labour programme for government, the rolling out of free GP care, have been missed.
The first phase of this process would have seen free primary care extended to people with long-term illnesses such as diabetes and epilepsy.
However, complex issues that have arisen during the drafting of the primary legislation required for this change have caused significant delays, according to an informed source. In the meantime, most of the €15 million allocated for this purpose in 2012 has been used to offset the HSE’s deficit.
The delays have thrown into doubt Minister for Health James Reilly’s central ambition to introduce universal primary care during the lifetime of the Government.
The programme for government commits Ministers to the introduction of free GP care on a phased basis. The first phase, extending the scheme to claimants of free drugs under the long-term illness scheme, was promised in the first year of Government.
Last January Dr Reilly told the Dáil everyone on the long-term illness scheme would have access to free GP care by the summer.
A similar commitment was given by Minister of State at the Department of Health Róisín Shortall, who told the Dáil last April the required legislation would be passed by the Oireachtas before the summer recess.
However, the department received legal advice that the granting of medical cards on the basis of medical need rather than income could be open to challenge, which forced a redrafting of the legislation.
Further delay was caused when other health legislation, particularly that giving effect to the reorganisation of the HSE, was prioritised in the Attorney General’s office, according to the source.
It was then hoped the legislation would be ready in time for the resumption of the Dáil next week. However, it is expected this deadline will not be met.
The department said the legislation was being drafted in the Attorney General’s office and would be published shortly. Implementation dates and application details would be announced in due course. It was not expected to be approved by the Oireachtas before “the late autumn”.
The change requires agreement from doctors, but substantive talks with the Irish Medical Organisation have yet to get under way. Medical cards are means tested at present, but extending medical cards on the basis of disease would represent a contractual change.
Diabetes patients account for 85 per cent of those on the long-term illness scheme.
