THE IRISH Medical Organisation (IMO) and the British Medical Association (BMA) have called on the EU health commissioner to improve cross-border healthcare programmes for older people.
In a joint presentation to MEPs in Brussels today Dr Paula Gilvarry and Ms Maria Murphy from the IMO and Dr Brian Patterson from BMA Northern Ireland, will ask the EU to ensure that older people have access to high quality healthcare that is equitable and available to everyone on the basis of need.
"Living in a border area should not create inequities for its local population . . . The goal of co-operation in cross-border healthcare programmes should be to develop co-operative structures and procedures to enable the population in the vicinity to access healthcare," the representative organisations for over 11,000 doctors on the island of Ireland say.
Acknowledging the changing demographics of the population and the need to provide healthcare to a greater number of older people, the joint presentation calls for "a strategic approach to develop long-term care systems, to promote healthy lifestyles and to develop home support. Care systems will need to be reformed as appropriate, and properly resourced, but not at the expense of vulnerable older patients".
Dr Paula Gilvarry, a community health doctor and former IMO president, told The Irish Times: "We believe that the needs of older people should be given the priority and the attention they deserve. We can predict with reasonable accuracy the level of demand for services and the types of services which older people need."
Dr Brian Patterson, Council Chairman of the BMA in Northern Ireland said: "We firmly believe that older people should have equal access to specialist treatment and be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.
"Healthcare for older people should be easily accessible . . . irrespective of where they live. The IMO and BMA (NI) would like to see more cross-border initiatives to improve healthcare for older people, to make sure they benefit from the advantages of being part of the EU."