Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As I indicated on each of the previous Stages, I will be supporting this Bill’s final passage. I hope the outworking of the legislation and its provisions will prove beneficial to all to whom it is intended. It is important to recall that my support for this particular legislation, and indeed for the provision of free GP access for children under six, was in the context of the roll-out of universal access to free GP care. That was a position I took with the former Minister of State, Deputy Alex White. I know we were on the one page in that respect. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that we programme that for the earliest possible timeframe. Otherwise, we will perpetuate yet another difference within the system - a two-tier situation, with the under-sixes and over-70s and everybody else. That simply is not acceptable. The delivery of universal entitlement must be by the shortest possible route.

Listening to those voices from the GP representative organisations, the most common criticism levelled against the two Bills in this area, particularly the one regarding the under-sixes, is that children over six who are unwell will not be accommodated while the many well children under six will be provided for. That in itself must be a further incentive to move with the greatest possible speed to the roll-out of universal health care. From the overwhelming majority of GP commentators, I do not note any resistance to moving towards universal free GP care. On the contrary, there seems to be quite strong support for such a system. The earlier we can reach this, the better. If it were signalled at this point that greater speed was intended, it might even help by ensuring a greater take-up of the provision for the under-sixes and the over-70s in turn.

The legislation also promises something I raised on Committee Stage - namely, doctor choice. I know we both have the same understanding on this. Regrettably, however, in great swathes of rural areas, as well as in considerable numbers of large urban areas, doctor choice is a significant problem. People will not have GP choice when there is a continuing depletion of GPs across the country. It is important to recognise that GPs feel poorly dealt with over recent years. They have taken a number of significant cuts in service provision and this has had an impact on their respective individual or shared practices. We have to resource primary care. That is the bottom line. We must resource primary care if we are to ensure that the cohort of general practitioners across the country has the capacity to cope to ensure people are not, through displacement, moving towards accident and emergency centres at our network of hospital sites. We want to encourage a system whereby the first point of contact with the health services is at GP level. That cannot be done if the necessary numbers of general practitioners and practices are not available.

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