The Coalition’s signature health policy of providing free GP care for the entire population is set to be delayed by three years or more, The Irish Times has learned.
The move was initially intended to be rolled out by the end of the Fine Gael-Labour Government's term of office in 2016 but has been beset by delays. Senior sources now acknowledge the full implementation of the plan is unlikely to be completed until the middle of a second term in office for Fine Gael and Labour.
The general election is due to be held in spring 2016, and sources say the full roll-out of GP care is now likely to happen by 2019 or later.
Work is ongoing to ensure the first planks of the plan, providing GP cover to children under six and adults over 70, are in place by the end of this year.
Minister for Health Leo Varadkar yesterday said he was "absolutely confident we will have the over 70s by the summer" but added: "The under sixes requires a little bit more negotiation."
Next phase
Once the first two elements are in place, the next phase will be to extend it to all children under 18 and subsequently to adults, subject to the agreement of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).
Mr Varadkar told Newstalk providing free GP care to children under six was not “a sop to better-off parents” but “a whole new primary care service for all children under six”.
On the issue of the wider roll out of free GP care, Mr Varadkar said “it has to be done properly. It probably makes sense to phase this in over a longer period of time. It is best not done in a hurry.”
A Coalition source later said the full roll-out to the entire population could be achieved by the middle of the second term, subject to a number of caveats.
Adequate funding
These include broad agreement with the IMO, having a sufficient number of GPs in training to replace those who are retiring and adequate funding from the Government to fund the entire scheme.
“It’d be more of a second term issue,” another source added.
The Programme for Government agreed in 2011 said “universal primary care will remove fees for GP care and will be introduced within this Government’s term of office”.
The revised statement of Government priorities agreed last year said the Coalition “remain committed to the introduction of a universal GP service for the entire population as part of Universal Health Insurance, in line with the Programme for Government”.
It said the next groups to be focused on were six to 11-year-olds and 12 to 17-year-olds respectively.
The Irish Medical Organisation is currently in talks with the Government on the introduction of free GP services for children under age 6 and for people over the age of 70.
