Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 January 2014
761. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Health further to the proposed free general practitioner visit announced in budget 2012 for persons who are under the long-term illness scheme, the date when this budgetary promise will commence; the total cost to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4103/14]
View answerThe 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. This policy constitutes a fundamental element in the Government’s health reform programme. There has been no change to the Government’s over-arching commitment to this goal. This Government is the first in the history of this State to have committed itself to implementing a universal GP service for the entire population.
Having examined the progress made in the universal GP care plan, it became clear that 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. Relatively complex primary legislation would be required in order to provide a GP service to a person on the basis of their having a particular illness. The assessment system for such an approach would have to be robust, objective and auditable in order to have the confidence of this House as well as the general public. This legislation would have to address how a person could be certified as having such an illness, and who could do this, and how to select the diagnostic basis for medical conditions. As well as primary legislation, there would be a need for secondary legislation to give full effect to this approach for each condition. While it would not be impossible to achieve this, it would take several months more to finalise the primary legislation, followed then by the preparation of statutory instruments. In my view, this would entail putting in place a cumbersome legal and administrative infrastructure to deal with what is only a temporary first phase on the way to universal GP service to the entire population. The Government having considered this matter, announced, as part of Budget 2014, that it will commence the roll-out of a universal GP service by providing all children aged 5 and under with access to a GP service without fees.
