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Killarney doctor plans to join next week’s national GP protest
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BY MICHELLE CREAN
A Killarney doctor, who says the health service is in crisis, plans to take part in a major protest with hundreds of other GPs outside the Dáil next week.
Dr Michael Moloney from Killarney Medical Centre, says GPs are stressed out, overworked, and working with limited Government resources.
The National Day of Action by GPs, which is being organised by the National Association of GPs (NAGP), will take place almost a week after thousands of nurses nationally, including 400 in Kerry, went out on strike.
NAGP says years of successive cuts in Government funding for general practice have created an inefficient unstructured health system which is now collapsing.
For months they say the Government promised to reverse the 38 percent FEMPI cuts to GPs imposed over past years - and to offer - and properly fund a new, modernised GP contract - but these things have not yet materialised.
They also say that the number of doctors who can no longer take on any more patients is a growing crisis, and that the medical card system can no longer cope - having been starved of Government resources.
Not enough new doctors are being appointed by the State to serve the public, they say, and many are having to retire early, due to burnout.
The future survival of the GP service is vital to enable it to serve patients and the issue affects whole communities around Ireland, explained Dr Moloney, who set up his practice seven years ago, with Dr O’Doherty.
Both are hoping to attend next week’s protest - but say unless they can source a locum for cover - it might not be possible as their practice is just too busy.
“The issue here is that the NAGP have called for a national day of protest amongst GPs in relation to the working environment and the stresses put on general practice,” Dr Moloney told the Killarney Advertiser.
“You can ask any GP across the country about the impact the successive cuts have had - you’ll hear the same thing from everyone.”
He said that he personally works up to 80 to 90 hours per week in order to accommodate patients, take care of paperwork and fulfil his contracted SouthDoc hours.
“The GP service is in crisis and has been for a long time,” Dr Moloney, who worked a full day Tuesday, covered his SouthDoc hours Tuesday night and returned to his practice Wednesday morning, said.
“I’m in strong solidarity with my nursing colleagues - but the same thing is going on with GPs for years. The reality is that this is unsustainable. What we need is to be resourced. It’s a big problem.”
“We have a contract that’s not fit for purpose it’s over 40 or 50 years old.”
Currently, he explained, doctors receive approximately €46 per year for a patient with a medical card, and that same patient has unlimited visits.
“As a private businesses we take up the slack in what’s provided by the Government. You break that down, €46 - divided by 12 is €3 to €4 a month to look after a patient with unlimited visits. You couldn’t insure a pet for €40 a year – it just makes no sense.
“The reality is that this is unsustainable in this current climate. You can’t provide a service to patients like that.”
GPs are retiring younger, he added, while practices are also closing down and communities are left without a GP service as newly trained doctors are instead opting to move abroad to work less hours for higher pay.
“We train about 180 in Ireland per year and they're exporting half of them.”
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