No group has taken a larger cut than GPs

Dear Editor,
The IMO has recently requested submissions from its GP members regarding the proposed further cuts in fees and allowances under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2009.
GPs have already had an 8 per cent general cut in fees and allowances. Shortly before that there was a general cut of 4 per cent in income from the over-70s medical card scheme. The GMS pension fund has collapsed with losses last year of more than 30 per cent. As a consequence of this, to maintain proposed pension payouts, GP member contributions will have to be increased.
I conservatively estimate that the reduction in income due to these changes is 18 per cent. I would be interested to hear if any other group in the public sector has taken a larger cut that this.
I believe the IMO has signed up to the Croke Park deal and understands that the Government, as part of that deal, had guaranteed not to cut public sector wages further. Why then is there a threat to further cut GMS fees and allowances?
If, as it is rumoured, there is a further cut imposed of 8 per cent, it will reduce GMS income by 26 per cent over a very short time period. If this happens it will have a disastrous effect on service delivery and on general practice itself.
I see from a recent issue of Irish Medical Times (‘Union wins on jobs for life’, IMT, 04.06.2010, see www.imt.ie/opinion/2010/06/union_wins_on_jobs_for_life.html) that the Labour Court says that the HSE should hold to the arrangement on ‘jobs for life’ that it agreed after abolishing the health boards.
If memory serves me right, I think there were more than 2,000 of these jobs surplus to requirements and that this situation still exists.
Sorting this situation out would have no effect on services to the public and would save a huge sum of money.
Dr John Brangan,
Salem Medical Centre, Wicklow.