IMO calls for price hike on cigarettes, alcohol

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), in its pre-Budget submission this afternoon, has called on the government to increase the price of cigarettes by 30 per cent and excise duty imposed on alcohol by 20 per cent.

The organisation recommends that €2 should be added to the price of 20 cigarettes and that more funding should be provided for alcohol intervention plans.

Dr Joe Barry, former IMO president and specialist in Public Health and Medicine, says that an increase in excise duty has contributed to a dramatic decrease in the abuse of certain alcoholic beverages.

"Three years ago, because of concerns with patterns of cider consumption, the excise duty on cider was increased with a consequent reduction in consumption," sais Dr Barry.

"In 2002, because of concerns about spirit consumption amongst young girls and women, a 20 per cent increase in the excise on 'Alco pops' was brought in which led to a dramatic reduction in consumption. However, general alcohol consumption remains a concern."

Eligibility for medical cards should also be relaxed to include all people who earn less than €273 per week, according to IMO president Dr James Reilly.

"The bedrock of the primary care service is the medical card system which is intended to make appropriate care accessible to people according to their needs rather than their ability to pay," says Dr Reilly.

According to the IMO 110,000 people have lost their cards since 1997 because the government has failed to raise the threshold, of €143 per week, for a single person with no dependants, to keep pace with inflation.

The submission also states that Ireland falls short of the EU norms in a number of areas, including the ratio of doctors to patients.  The report states that in 2002 the state had 24 doctors for every 10,000 people, whereas the EU average was 31.

An additional 1,500 fully-funded hospital consultants are also needed, as well as the provision of funding to increase the number of training posts for GPs and the full implementation of the agreement on Public Health Doctor staffing levels.