Free GP services for all under-fives a priority

Health:Fine Gael proposes the introduction of free GP services for all children under five as part of a new health policy outlined at the party's national conference in Millstreet, Co Cork.

Health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey also promised a national screening programme through family GPs and the establishment of 50 primary care teams within two years where GP practices are linked to local health professionals.

Under this structure, there would also be incentives for GPs to work in disadvantaged areas, increased places for trainee doctors and more flexible working contracts for doctors.

The policy also includes a plan for "first responder schemes", where defibrillators can be used to respond to cardiac arrest emergencies while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Dr Twomey said he would launch the party's full primary care policy programme before Christmas and said "the reform of family medicine and community care will be our top priority in government".

Dr Twomey said he wanted accessible and affordable primary care services and accused the Government of "fiddling around" with just 10 pilot primary care team projects.

As a first step to free GP care for everyone, Dr Twomey said Fine Gael would provide it for all under fives. "Children of this age are most vulnerable to life-threatening illness. In an ideal world no parent should have to make the decision between paying to have their child seen by a doctor or providing for their family."

Under the proposed screening programme all adults would be offered free health checks every five years to screen for illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart problems, lung disease and certain cancers.

Highlighting diabetes, Dr Twomey said there were 100,000 people who did not know they had this life-threatening illness, complications from which cost the health service between 6 per cent and 10 per cent of the health budget each year.

"If even half this amount were redirected into prevention and early detection, not only could health budgets be reduced, but enormous human misery could be avoided."

Dr Declan Murphy, a former chairman of the Irish College of General Practitioners, told delegates that the issues he identified 31 years ago when he started in GP practice were still unresolved. At that time, setting up primary care teams was a priority.

"There are still no primary care teams," he said. He described the health system as "flawed in equity, effectiveness, efficiency, cost effectiveness and flexibility".