Sir, – VHI advertisements claim that it is building a network of 360 health centres providing a “more rounded view of your health”.
As one of 3,000 established GPs who have been providing fully rounded healthcare for decades, that comes as something of a surprise.
VHI members are already paying for the public health system through income tax, and the private hospital system through their insurance payments. Now they are being asked to fund a third, separate health service, when most of us think the two we have is already too many.
Service replication is the enemy of healthcare efficiency. If you’re wondering what else VHI might have spent your money on, consider this: in recent years, the HSE have invested in providing chronic disease care for a number of conditions, from diabetes to stroke, heart and lung disease, delivered by your local general practice for medical card-holders. Organised care for chronic disease is proven to prevent expensive complications which, by the way, remain a huge cost for health insurers. The HSE has also increased supports for family planning consultations and contraceptive procedures, as part of the important national effort to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Oh, and the HSE is also expanding an already impressive network of primary care centres, staffed with teams who provide a 360-degree health service to the entire community.
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VHI and other health insurers need to start managing ill-health at an earlier stage, and could support and enhance the structures that already exist, particularly in primary care, as every GP sees everyone in their community. It seems the VHI’s judgment that their members want even more exclusivity is off the mark.
People simply want access to effective, affordable healthcare. – Yours, etc,
Dr TONY O’SULLIVAN,
Irishtown
and Ringsend
Primary Care Centre,
Dublin 4.
