A LIMERICK employment rights officer has discovered that family doctors have the authority to extend medical cards for patients – but no-one told them.
Frank McDonald unearthed the information that GPs have discretionary powers to extend the term of a patient’s medical card if it is under review.
“I was researching some information in advance of giving a talk to the Limerick Seniors Forum and discovered that GPs can actually extend a medical card by four months. When I got in contact with the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), they told me that GPs are unaware of this. It seems this is a very well-kept secret,” he told the Limerick Post.
Limerick doctor and NAGP representative, Dr Emmet Kerrin, said that family doctors have been kept in the dark.
“GPs knew little about this system and those that did found it did not actually function as it was only for a card known to be under review which the GP was authorised to extend its expiry date by four months.
“When a card was taken back by the HSE and not under review, the system did not allow it to be reinstated by the GP,” the Treaty Medical Centre doctor said.
He added that doctors – including himself – who were unaware that the facility existed have sent countless letters to the HSE pleading on behalf of patients.
“In the recent medical card fiasco, patients went to their pharmacy to find their card had been withdrawn without any notice and the system would not allow the GP to reinstate it at this point,” said Dr Kerrin.
The ability to extend a card was negotiated between the HSE and the Irish Medical Organization (IMO), but GPs are adamant that the agreement was not communicated to them
In a statement to the Limerick Post, the NAGP said: “The National Association of General Practitioners is appalled to learn that for the last two years there has been a facility available to allow GPs to extend medical cards on a discretionary basis, but which none of its GP members were made aware of”.
NAGP chief executive Chris Goodey said: “None of the GPs that I have spoken to were aware that such a facility existed. The question is why GPs and patients were not informed of this?”
“The systematic cull of discretionary medical cards which has taken place over recent years has caused immeasurable hardship and distress to so many people. To hear now that this option, while limited, was available all along but was not publicised, is reprehensible.
“I have spoken to GPs throughout the country. Many have said that they have repeatedly petitioned the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Service in relation to reinstating medical cards and at no time did they inform them that any facility was available”, Mr Goodey added.
