GP charges in Ireland deter patients

Charges in Ireland for a consultation with a GP are deterring large numbers of patients from seeing their doctor, new research shows.

The cross sectional survey shows that more than one in four of adult patients who have to pay for GP consultations had a health problem during a 12 month period but did not see their GP because of cost (European Journal of General Practice doi: 10.1080/13814780701815082). About 70% of people in Ireland have to pay a GP consultation fee, those in the lowest income groups being exempted.

In comparison, just 4.4% of non-paying patients with a health problem said that they did not see their GP because of the cost. And across the border in Northern Ireland, where services are free at the point …