Doctors say draft contract on free GP care for children is ‘unworkable in its entirety’

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has told the Government that its draft contract for doctors to provide free GP care for children under age six is "unworkable in its entirety". In its submissions to the Department of Health on the proposals, the IMO again warned the Government that it could face court action if it sought to implement plans for free GP care for children under six without negotiations.

“Regrettably, the manner in which the department and the HSE has proceeded in relation to the draft contract [abandoning negotiation in favour of a consultation process] has undermined the belief of medical practitioners that the department or the HSE is serious in its intention to produce a properly planned, resourced or negotiated agreement, notwithstanding the willingness of the IMO to do so. It is clear that due to the failure to negotiate with the IMO at the outset, the draft contract which has been produced is regrettably unworkable in its entirety.”

The IMO said it was disappointed that Minister of State for Health Alex White had not responded to correspondence requesting full and meaningful negotiations. "While the Minister for Primary Care, Alex White, this week spoke about engaging on the scope of the contract with the IMO, this falls far short of the Minister's responsibility to engage in detailed negotiations on all aspects of the contract, including workload and resources."

The IMO said there were " a wide number of flaws" with the proposed contract including:
– The absence of information regarding key aspects of this initiative including the legislative provisions proposed, the medical evidence underpinning the initiative, details of the demographics of the eligible population to be covered by this initiative in the coming years, details for the practical implementation of the contract, and
– The new range of duties and responsibilities which would be imposed on GPs which would result in a significant increase the clinical and administrative workload.

Meanwhile, the union representing dentists has backed the IMO in its demands for rights to negotiate on behalf of its members with the Government.

In its submission to the Department of Health, the Irish Dental Union said it did not want to comment on the specifics in the draft contract but it "fully supports the IMO in its insistence on vindication of its right to engage in collective bargaining on the contractual terms, including remuneration on offer, applying to any scheme developed by the state and which assumes the provision of professional services by medical doctors".