Dr. Pádraig McGarry:

We need different models for it. In isolated areas such as the islands, in certain rural areas and areas where it is difficult to attract doctors, a salary model would work, but the independent contractor model has been shown to work much better in all developed health care systems throughout the developed world. Putting a salaried general practitioner in the midst of a mixed model possibly undermines the whole structure. If there is a salaried GP whose costs are all taken up by the State and the cost base is very different from that of the surrounding GPs, it undermines the viability of those GPs on the ring. That ring would have to extend further. If it could be done in one fell swoop, it possibly would work, but if it starts in isolation it has a ripple effect which could undermine existing practices. There could be unforeseen consequences.