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DOCTORS HAVE BEEN urged to display their prices to allow patients to make an informed decision when it comes to choosing a GP.
The Irish Medical Organisation recommended last November that all its members should introduce price lists for routine medical procedures such as consultations. However a Labour TD has said that not all GPs are yet following the step.
Waterford TD Ciara Conway said that as many as 50 per cent of GPs were not displaying their prices according to a recent survey by the National Consumer Agency.
“It is very important that people would have a chance to be aware of the variation in prices in different surgeries,” said Ciara Conway. “Dentists are already on board with this one, so I’m hopeful that doctors will follow suit, and publish their service fees prominently and promptly outside their practices”.
Health Minister James Reilly has committed to ensuring that GPs all display prices. The call has also been backed by the National Consumer Agency.
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Don’t want to give their customers. Heart Attacks before paying.
Great idea. Next up should be Veterinarians who seriously need to be looked at. These people say 1 thing charge another. And they love charging whether your pet lives or not.
Have to agree about the vets, had to take my wee dog there a couple of times a few weeks ago and WOW. While they couldn’t have been nicer they knew how to charge, as my wee terrier got excited he…. errr did what dogs do. I offerred to use the mop but they insisted, I could almost hear her adding it to the final bill.
As for GP’s I had a conversation with my GP many years ago, when they used to do house calls, he told me then that a each GP recieves a fee for every medical card patient on their books, regardless of how often the see that patient, it could be once a year or once a week but the yearly fee would still be the same. These days with more and more people on medical cards, through no fault or their own, I imagine many GP’s surgeries have fewer fee paying patients.
While I have no problem with a GP earning a decent income, they have to study long and hard to get to be a doctor, does anyone remember they times when there was morning, afternoon and evening surgeries and a short surgery on a Saturday morning too? Now it seems at times if you want to see a GP you almost have to book a week in advance, its as if you almost have to plan to be ill.
Best practice for GPs is that if it’s an emergency you’re seen right away, semi-emergency it’s less than 3 days. Any longer and you need to change GPs
Urged??? It should be compulsory
Nice to hear Dentists are displaying prices, typically GP’s are dragging the heels still, they’ve had it too good down through the years..receiving approx 60c per patient per month( whether u attend them or not) continuously , also getting a subsidy to employ a receptionist.. Yep cut & display the prices & sacrifice the BMW..
At least the vet will call day or nite… Fair play to him.. We have 2 GP’s in our local town in the west of Ireland, they are always off the weekends, which means we have to travel 10miles to the next town, they work half days every other day & only a 4 day week…both them & their spouses drive big cars… I’d prefer to call a vet and it’ll probably come to that eventually …
I’m somewhat staggered to learn that Ireland is still where the UK was in the 40s, when paying just to talk to a GP was the norm, whether they actually did anything or not, pre-NHS.
I suspect most people here are as ignorant of this as I was, until now. It’s fair to say though, that other than basic consultations and prescribing, UK GPs have routinely charged an arm and a leg for almost everything else they do for many years.
Have you even checked out the GP deal in the NHS? It’s incredible… for doctors! I’d love it if we got a similar deal… Average GP NHS salary £90k per annum. Negotiated 10% pay cut in return for removal of obligation of work outside 9-5. What’s not to like?
A bit stupid. most people go the same GP so know the price?
I think the idea is to make it easier to shop around, which will hopefully encourage competition and drive prices down.
My old GP and new GP, of a few years now, has had their price lists up always. Never knew this was a problem.
There should be a law.
Every doc, lawyer lost a fortune in the “boom” so prices ain’t comings down.anyywayNeil Young on rust radio is a free script that will lower the bp .
This was supposed to be done years ago,they are raking it in.
GPs weren’t allowed to display prices until recently because of the competition authority so people should get off their backs a bit
There was a new clinic right on my street I considered switching too, they don’t display their charges. Their website says they ‘have no set fees’ the receptionist told me they ‘vary based on the doctor and services provided’
She did not know what to say when I asked ‘So you just make up a charge, any charge when I’ve received the service?’ And told me ‘possibly’ when I asked was a consult more than €100
I live in a pretty affluent part of Dublin… But I still don’t know how they are in business
Biggest racket ever. Gps are making a fortune from squeezing I’ll patients for 65 plus for a ten minute visit; plus GMS capitation fees
Vast majority of GPs display price lists and have for an eternity.
Most have it on their website, UNLIKE dentists.
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