Southside doctor warns of GP crisis

A TALLAGHT doctor has called on Southsiders to get behind a new health campaign aiming to collect one million signatures on a petition.

Dr Andy Jordan, a local practitioner from Tallaght, is chairman of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) who recently launched a nationwide campaign entitled

‘General Practice in Crisis’.

The campaign is being rolled out nationally over the next four weeks.

It follows a call by the association on the Minister of Health to reverse cutbacks that they say are having a detrimental effect on the health of the Irish people.

Dr Jordan, who is also acting as a spokesperson for the campaign, said he was moved to get involved as he feared community-based GP services were at risk due to

“savage cuts

? by the Government.

“We have seen draconian cuts that reduce our ability to treat patients,

? Dr Jordan said.

“Over the past three years,

?¬160 million has been taken from general practice.

“This equates to an average of 33 per cent reduction of funding to some of the poorest in our society.

“Community-based GP services are now at risk due to the latest round of savage cuts under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 (FEMPI.)

?

Dr Jordan urged members of the public to support the campaign that was launched last week by the NAGP

In order to halt what they term the

“systematic dismantling of general practice

?, the association is calling on members of the public to sign a petition, to contact their public representatives and voice their objection to cutbacks.

“We need one million signatures on the petition,

? Dr Jordan added.

“That would send out a real signal that we need to take this issue seriously. I am urging my fellow Southsiders to get involved, to sign the petition and back us.

“After all, this is not about the patient versus the doctor, this is about the patient taking on the politicians.

?

The organisers behind the

“emergency campaign

? say the aim is to reveal the true impact of cuts initiated by the Department of Health.

Members of the association claim the department’s current strategy will have an enormous impact on general practice, with longer waiting lists, no home visits and changes in fee structures.

The secretary of the NAGP, Dr Don Punch, said:

“GP services are now at breaking point and we predict severe difficulties in coping with the day-to-day running of our practices and our patients’ health issues.

“The autumn and winter season will bring further problems such as exacerbation of respiratory illness, longer waiting lists and the inability to carry out house calls, often to the weakest and most vulnerable in our society.

?

The president of the NAGP, Dr Conor McGee, added:

“Our association seeks to highlight the impact the cuts will have on the community.

“The recent 7.5 per cent cut in GPs’ fees will result in eight per cent of practices in Ireland facing major financial difficulties as GPs will no longer be able to afford to run their practices.

“This could result in the closure of over 120 general practices around the country. This nationwide campaign hopes to reinforce our total commitment to our patients and the service that we offer them.

?

The Department of Health did not provide us with a comment at time of going to press.