James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is regrettable that Deputy Keaveney is no longer in the Chamber because I have a list of quotes by him consisting of criticisms of Fianna Fáil's health policies dating from the period when he was on this side of the House. Rather than rehearse the quotes in his absence, I will leave them for another day.

I warmly welcome this Bill, which commences the second phase of the introduction of a universal GP service in Ireland, as set out in the programme for Government. The first phase of this process was the Health (General Practitioner Service) Act 2014, which provides free GP care for children aged under six years. The Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015 now seeks to make GP care free at the point of use for all persons aged 70 years and over. At present, nearly half of the population have access to medical or GP visit cards. Eligibility in the majority of cases has been determined by a means test. As a result of eligibility criteria, 36,000 people over the age of 70 were not entitled to a free GP visit card. Thanks to the actions of this Government and the Minister for Health, everybody aged 70 years or older will have free access to a local GP.

When it comes to GP care, we are one of the few OECD countries with GP fees. In a majority of OECD countries, primary care is either free or heavily subsidised for most of the population. Furthermore, Ireland is the only EU health system that does not offer universal coverage of primary care. We must also bear in mind that cost is a barrier to someone deciding whether to attend a local GP. The former Minister of State at the Department of Health, and now Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, was absolutely correct when he stated: "The evidence is clear that people delay or avoid visiting their GP where a fee is required. Removing this cost barrier will ensure citizens will be far more likely to address medical problems". Removing the cost barrier for 36,000 older people means that older people need no longer delay visiting their GP, thereby enjoying better health while at the same time ensuring health care services will not incur higher costs as a result of a delayed diagnosis. Therefore there is a significant benefit from improved GP access in terms of health and well-being.

Nothing will change for any person over 70 years of age who is already entitled to medical cards or GP visit cards. They will continue to receive all of their medical entitlements as normal. Attempts by the Opposition to distort this are nothing but cheap politics, although nothing Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin does surprises me anymore. Throughout this debate I have spoken about the importance of access to GP care and removing the barriers to services.

This is particularly important in regard to the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar and the HSE's promised commitment to 90 new nursing posts. While the appointment of a second palliative care consultant in early March was very welcome, I have been made aware of concerns at the hospital that the HSE may row back on its plan to create these badly needed nursing posts. When I visited the hospital last Saturday, I was told that the accident and emergency and maternity wards are understaffed. The staff had hoped that the announcement of the new nursing posts would improve the situation in the hospital, yet we are still awaiting confirmation of that news. Without doubt, this is one of the busiest and best performing hospitals in the country, taking patients from Roscommon, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath and the wider region. Any row-back on the plan to provide 90 new nursing posts would have a serious effect on staff and morale at the hospital. Indeed, it would go against the key reforms and progress the Government is trying to make in the health sector.

The concerns that have arisen due to the level of overcrowding and pressure on beds in the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar provide an opportunity for St. Joseph's care centre in Longford to reduce the problem. St. Joseph's care centre is a fine example of an excellent care facility that could be more fully utilised. I wrote to the Minister and spoke to him on this issue. The standard of care and the quality of staff are excellent. All of the centre's facilities have been purposely built towards care. The facility already has a GP out of hours service, a physiotherapy service and a radiology department that is connected to the national IT service. If this facility was to become a step-down clinic, it would undoubtedly free up acute beds in the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar. I have spoken to the Minister about this and hope he is positive on this proposal. I thank him for that and hope he can come up with a solution.

To conclude, the Government is upholding its commitment towards establishing a universal GP service for the entire population in line with the programme for Government, but we also need to uphold our short-term commitments and to ensure that the HSE does not row back on its pledge to the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar. Economic recklessness in the past has neglected vital health infrastructure and Longford-Westmeath patients suffered as a result.

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