Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD, Seán Crowe, has accused the Government of sending out mixed messages as it appears some government departments seem intent on scuttling the idea of free GP care for the under 6s and over 70s.

Crowe claims that leaked reports to the media are suggesting that the Department of Public Expenditure is now seeking a “co-payment” to raise further cash for revenue. This would see doctors charging a “nominal fee” to patients when the free GP care is introduced sometime next year.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“This latest Government cash raising idea centres around plans to supposedly charge patients for free visits to doctors and would appear to contradict promises made in their own Programme for Government.

“The proposal will also be seen by many as a further move away from its public commitments on universal primary care. It seems only yesterday that the then Health Minister, James Reilly, publicly stated that free GP care would be free, but it appears his Cabinet colleagues plan to do an about turn on that commitment.

“That the current Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, is supposedly considering this charge for GP services, is a clear indication that he is not fully convinced of his Government’s original policy. This raises serious questions about his intention to honour or discard the Programme for Government commitments on free GP care.

“The other big concern centres around the level of fees proposed. While the initial charge might appear small, this Government’s track record on hiking up fees will do nothing to calm legitimate concerns. Over the last three and a half years, we’ve seen prescription fees increase five-fold, despite promises to reduce and eventually abolish them.

Crowe continued:

“If the Government decides to press forward with these “nominal fees” it will undermine and send out even more mixed signals around the concept of free GP care.

“They also need to urgently address the on-going scandal of terminally ill children not getting free GP visits and medical cards.

“In meantime, Minister Varadkar needs to clarify government policy and outline whether he plans to impose any new charges for the under 6s and over 70s and their so called free GP scheme”.

ENDS