Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White. I have different views on the Bill. While I am supportive of almost everything Senator John Crown has said. However, I am not sure I support amendment No. 3 which states: "The agreement, referred to in subsection (1) shall not require any general practitioner to perform annual, or otherwise periodic assessments of patients who are healthy." I understand that in China - I am not sure if this is still the case - the doctor got paid if one was well. His job was to keep one healthy, and he did not get paid if one got ill. That is an excellent idea. I would hate to think if we accepted Senator John Crown's amendment that it might restrict the opportunity to do that at some point in the future. However, everything else he said makes sense.

I grew up in the marketplace and I am used to the customer deciding whether to go here or there or whether to buy this or that. Currently I have that freedom. Is there any danger that freedom will be taken away? As a patient living in a locality, I have been with the same GP service for more than 40 years but I have a choice in the practice as to which doctor to go to. In that area I have a choice of half a dozen GPs to whom I can go. I am concerned that 98% of GPs said they would not sign the particular contract. I understand what Senator John Gilroy said that this is not the contract. We are not talking about the contract here. The GPs claim that no negotiations have taken place in regard to the contract. Will the Minister of State please put my mind at rests that is not the position? I believe my contract with my doctor is with that doctor, with that GP, not with the HSE. It appears to me as though Big Brother is coming in.

GPs say they would have to agree to do the work as dictated by the HSE and other government bodies. These could inspect the GP, interview his or her staff and take his or her records as they wished. I do not see that in the Bill and ask the Minister of State to put my mind at rest. I understand Senator John Crown is concerned that the freedom for the GPs to give the advice and medical service will be interfered with by the State. I do not think any of us want that interference and I doubt if the Minister of State wants it. Certainly, I do not believe patients want it, they want to be able to deal exactly as Senator John Crown said, that is with their GP on a confidential basis. All of the points he has made make a great deal of sense and I ask the Minister of State to put my mind at rest in that regard.