Dáil debates

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages

 

5:45 pm

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I could say a lot more but I will hold my tongue. He had other political priorities occupying his time. So be it.

The proposal to extend free GP coverage to those in receipt of carer's allowance and carer's benefit is part of a phased expansion of coverage to different groups and that is something that can also be broadly welcomed. We note, however, that since the introduction of free GP cards for the under sixes there have been chronic problems with accessing GPs. The Government was warned about that but would not listen. That action was not targeted at those in most need. If it was targeted it could have been used to provide access to additional kinds of care requirements.

I said to the Minister’s predecessor as Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, at the time of the introduction of free GP cards for the under sixes, that it would escalate the pressure being experienced by GP surgeries across the country as they struggle to adapt to the implementation of the scheme.

The National Association of General Practitioners, NAGP, confirmed to me that at the time, the then Minister, Deputy Varadkar, did not even engage in the minimal courtesy of consulting its 1,450 members about the plan. That must be a lesson he passed on to the current incumbent as Minister, Deputy Harris. It has rubbed off on the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, as well because he is not too good at consulting either. It was a case of not consulting GPs, just ordering them to do the work. As has been said by many Deputies, carers up and down the country are boundless in their energy and in what they do and try to do for their loved ones. The way they have been treated and mistreated by being cut down to half an hour or even 25 minutes in some cases is ridiculous. We must recognise them. I recognise the carers in Tipperary, as well as their manager, Councillor Richie Molloy, for all the work they do.

Instead of 2,954 GPs, we need 4,264 to have any kind of a service. Statistics provided by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, for Tipperary found that carers provide a staggering 250,000 hours of care per week within the county. That is in Tipperary alone. These findings also record that 7,041 people stated they provided regular unpaid personal help to a friend or family member, as has been mentioned by Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and others, with a long-term illness, health problem or disability. Without the carers, there would be even more chaos than there is now. A woman in University Hospital Limerick contacted me today. She has a serious diabetes issue and has been on a trolley for 80 hours. What is going on? If we did not have the carers, the volunteers and the families, there would be utter chaos but the HSE cannot see that. It is all about offices and mandarins, rather than supporting people on the ground.

What is deeply alarming to me is that the CSO found there were 138 carers aged under 15 years in County Tipperary alone. I have asked the Taoiseach for reassurance that this will be investigated. They would not be allowed to work for Deputy Danny Healy-Rae because they would be underage but it is fine to let them care for people in their own homes. That is shocking and is an abuse of children. They should be out playing with other kids, going to matches and doing their schoolwork and not having the worry of trying to care for their loved ones. The explanatory memorandum accompanying this Bill estimates that this measure will have a full year cost of €2.8 million. Of that, €2.4 million is for those in receipt of carer’s allowance and €400,000 for those in receipt of carer’s benefit. We must have that.

Details provided in the Revised Estimates for public services showed that the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission was allocated €6.5 million in 2017, with €3.5 million of that going toward salaries, wages and allowances. There it is, those are CSO figures and that is where the money is going all the time. There are managers and more managers and line managers, as well as renting office space but not looking after the people who, as Deputy Danny Healy-Rae said, built this country. They should be recognised in their final years. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, had a lot of talk when he was sitting over here on this side of the House. He was going to do everything but he has done little to help, including people with disabilities.

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