HEALTH:RESTRICTIONS ON the number of GPs qualifying each year are to be eliminated under the EU-IMF programme announced last night.
Earlier this year, in a bid to tackle GP shortages, the HSE and the Irish College of General Practitioners announced the number of GP training places was being increased from 120 to 157 a year. However, the announcement last night suggests anyone who wishes to go into general practice in future will be able to do so.
The Government’s statement did not elaborate on how this would be facilitated, but said the aim was to remove restrictions to competition “in sheltered sectors”.
It also says restrictions on advertising by GPs will be removed. Again the Government’s statement does not say if this means GPs will be required to advertise or display their prices.
There were severe restraints on advertising by GPs up to November last year when the Medical Council, in an updated ethics guide, made it clear advertising by doctors of their services through the media, internet or other means was in the public interest as long as it was “factually accurate, evidence-based and not misleading”.
The EU-IMF programme states all current restrictions which prevent GPs getting access to medical card lists and treating public patients on behalf of the State will be removed. The national recovery plan published last week also promised to lift these restrictions.
In relation to the pharmacy sector, the latest document says the recent elimination of the 50 per cent mark-up paid to pharmacists for medicines under the State’s Drug Payments Scheme must be enforced.
The mark-up paid to pharmacists was reduced from 50 per cent to 20 per cent last year for drugs dispensed to medical card holders but many pharmacies were not passing on the reduction to private patients who may seek a refund from the State under the Drugs Payment Scheme if their monthly drugs bill is over €120.
The Irish Pharmacy Union claimed it was up to individual pharmacists to decide what they charged private customers.
Meanwhile greater competition in the legal profession is also encouraged in the plan.
It says the recommendations of the legal costs working group will be implemented and an independent regulator of the sector is to be established. Judges will also be empowered to impose fines and other sanctions in competition cases “in order to generate more credible deterrence”.