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REPORTS THAT THE government is to drop the GP card for people with long-term illness has been heavily criticised by a number of groups.
It was reported in the Irish Times today that there are plans for the free GP card for such people to be dropped, despite the fact the Government had committed to making the card available.
Speaking to News at One on RTÉ today, Junior Minister Alex White said that the plan for free GP care for all will be seen within the lifetime of this government.
He said that legislation for the free card for people with long-term illnesses has become bogged down. He has proposed that the government look at the entirety of the plan and how they phase and cost it.
White described it as good public policy to say ‘are we doing it in the right way’. He added there is no change in the government planning to provide free GP care for all within the lifetime of this government.
According to White, if they continue with the plan as it is, they risk risk further delay. He is due to make a proposal to Health Minister James Reilly before the end of the summer.
White said that it is true that delays are frustrating, and that they are frustrating for people in government as well.
“We’ll do this, but we may have to do it in a slightly different way,” said White, adding that clarity is what people want to see.
Disappointing
However, Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD said that it is a “hugely disappointing development” and something that will create great difficulties and concerns for other sectors.
Ó Caoláin described the health policy of the government as “now in tatters”.
This was supposed to be the first phase of the extension of free GP care to all within the lifetime of the government as they promised in their Programme for Government. It was to have been introduced in March 2012 but we now find that it has been abandoned.
Deputy Ó Caoláin said it is time “for a major rethink on health policy by this government with the emphasis on supporting and enhancing the public health system, funded from fair taxation, and ensuring equal access for all based on medical need alone”.
“Mishandling”
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has strongly criticised the Government for what it described as “the mishandling of its efforts” to extend GP cards to patients with long-term illnesses.
Dr Ray Walley, chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO, said that the Government had wasted two years trying to achieve an impossible objective while ignoring a growing crisis in chronic patient care and GP services.
Dr Walley said that the IMO had warned the Government that there would be huge problems trying to extend free GP card coverage on the basis of health rather than income.
He added that the failure would raise serious questions about the Government’s strategy for free GP care for all during the lifetime of this Government, adding: “The Minister should refocus his efforts on tackling the resource crisis in GP surgeries now so that patients could start seeing a meaningful improvement in their treatments.”
“In tatters”
Fianna Fáil Health Spokesperson Billy Kelleher TD described the news as a “reminder of the abject failure of James Reilly’s leadership”.
The two key pillars of the Government’s plan for the health service are Universal Health Insurance and Free GP Care for All. Over the course of the last few weeks, it has become clear that both policies are collapsing.
He also questioned if Minister Reilly “is the wrong person to be in charge of one of the country’s most important departments?”.
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I’m outraged that people watch that shite.
The worst thing is that it’s mainly obese folk who watch it.
Jameilia you are so intelligent, and such a deep thinker I am so worried about your comments not!!!!
Eh, who’s Jamelia?
Jameli-who? Not sure why she wants to turn all the chubbies into nudists, but it is ironic that she makes music that only the deaf would appreciate…..
Gonzo how do you figure that it’s mainly overweight ppl watch Loose Women? I thought the Nielsons only gave viewing figures not figures on the viewers figures!
This is rich coming from a z lister who thinks rte the voice is a talent show
Who is she calling unhealthy? She looks like she a tic-tac is her main meal of the day. What a fool. Hopefully this means the end of her TV career and I mean career in the broadest sense.
You mean broadest as in obese.
Businesses shouldn’t cater for a third of their potential customers, that is sound business advice.
Does anyone really care what over payed uneducated personalities really think?
I mean seriously, Fk them and the horse they rode in on. Over opinionated self indulgent prats.
This is going to be deleted isn’t it…
You’re dead right Glen. But I think the comments above were just about the most disgusting I’ve ever seen on this site
Yeah I agree! Very over the top. Bet he is wishing he could take them back.
Deleted now.
Can’t believe he said that.
Can’t believe you still commenting, you said you were leaving 2 hours ago. Just go to bed for godsake Glen, is any story safe from you?
Ah gonzo…you missed some fairly disgusting comments..even you would have had a word or two.and you would have been spot on
Haha love it :-)
And record companies shouldn’t sign people that can’t sing….
It must be easy for Jamelia to avoid eating too much: she hasn’t sold a record for about 15 years.
And if she doesn’t like seeing fat people, she probably won’t be too happy either when they can’t buy clothes and have to walk around naked. Think again, Jamelia, think again.
Having endured her on other programmes I just cannot see how this stupid woman is given any airtime whatsoever. I have yet to hear anything intelligent or insightful leave her dimwit brain.
“The peasants should run around in rags!” Jamelia cackles, fingers steepled.
“But only the fat peasants”
What a pleb
She must be trying to revive the career that she never had in the first place
Suzie..thats a bit harsh…she isnt a multimillionaire ( ha ha) from being stupid.
But seriously…she has sway in the music business…she’s a producer, writer, singer and performer. She has a few brain cells that are working. She does know what shes talking about..like a female version of will.i.am, shes out there
Jenni , ok I give her a little bit of credit but Will.i.am is a genius so I don’t think she anywhere near his level but I have to say she came across well in the voice .
Ok suzie..I might give you the will.i.am, but she is really good behind the persona. I’m no way a fan, but I have to give credit where credit is due. She knows her stuff
Jenni , I do think she had a few good songs alright but she was way out of line with her comments today .
You’re dead right suzie, it was a shame they were removed, people could have seen what was going on….
She’s a nobody with zero class and definitely not a celebrity by any stretch of the imagination
And you are? Oh yes…I see who you are now….fog
Joe public says who the fcuk is Jamila and can it cure herpes
People shouldn’t be outraged by someone whose name sounds like an after dinner dessert pudding. I don’t think poor Jamelia is the brightest light in the great chandelier.
The Voice of Ireland MADE Jamelia.
Nope.
Haa the voice of Ireland has made nobody, even the nobody judges are an embarrassment, let us shit nobody’s judges judge others tell them our critique and after the show we’ll tell them about auto tune sure it’s how they all made it in the first place and then set them up to fail because lets face it who has made anything from it, does anybody even remember who has been on it? it’s just a shit show to fill a certain time slot on orte
I’m a big guy but not so much that I have to shop in specialist stores. Having said that, I am on the tall/big build side and have noticed the clothes sizes in shops have been getting smaller (been the same size for years according to a few jeans/jumpers) and clothes that fit me are harder to find. Jack jones and h&m were my favourite, then they switched to stocking ‘skinny’ clothes for skinny people. Whats up with that?
If I was a retailer on the high street I’d be stocking larger clothes, stupid not to in fact. Id pay good money for good fitting, good quality clothes. There’s a good market there for it.
Has she got a book coming out? or new album maybe?
This woman must be craving attention to make this rude and stupid comment as she is not getting it on the media One word of advice for her she should take a look closer to home
Jamelia. Hahahahahaha……..Jamelia Hahahahaha
Is she saying that all obese people should walk around in the nude
That is a bit cruel
In the summer they would be alright but
in the winter they would be frozen
no. she’s saying all obese and underweight people should be catered for in specialist shops. like evans for the ladies.
All she was really trying to say was that we shouldn’t normalise unhealthy weights and if any size is catered for in every shop then that does normalise it. I don’t think she has anything to worry about though because most ‘high street’ shops only cater for 8-14.
I wonder what she would think if someone thought that there should not be shops that have clothes that cater to non caucasians?
one time a fello sang hero including the spanish bit she said she didnt like him cause he sanfsang in irish put me
of f the voice she wreaks my head
You had me at fello!
If she thinks stores should stock a particular size, i think they should stalk particular colours too..
sorry typo *stock
I watched her a few times on 10 out of 8 Cats and she seems a good laugh.
8 out of 10 Cats,doh!
You’re right Niall, she does seem like she can have a laugh.
Clothes stores that cater for overweight people should be situated near Fast food outlets .
In fast food outlets
M&S stores thank you very much. Oh wait they already are. Size 30 hot pants & donut please
Dude, you want us to walk around in our daily lives naked then? I’m cool with that and all but I’m sure that it will be a lot worse than you having to shop in a store that stocks fatty people clothes and caters to your beloved skinny Minnie’s at the same time. Don’t like it stop shopping on the high street!!
Geebag.
Her name sounds like a type of food?
I’m the same type of person who laughs at the likes of family guy etc. Who are you to tell me what sense of humour I can have? I can assure I am no disgrace and I’m certainly not disgusting. By all means give me your opinion but don’t for one second attempt to judge me or think you know the person I am. I laughed because if I knew that woman I’d smack her too!
Are you ok?
Do you need us to call someone for you?
Ok leslie, your about 20 minutes old.
You had you’re disgusting opinions taken down a few minutes ago…and now you’re back pleading they were ligit.
Go away little girl.
Actually jennie I wrote that comment when the thread was still there it just wasn’t deleted with the others.
After reading your comment again…you reiterated that you would smack that woman again.
Wow
You made an outragious comment, its been removed along with our comments that showed our disgust.
Get over yourself…
And you should be grateful to the journal.ie staff that removed your comment
These comments are a symptom of her own failing career..bad publicity is better than no publicity.
Fatties should wear Momos! Its a no issue anyway fat people obviously don’t care about how they look!
If you ever are “lucky enough” to see this moron in person, you could see she is not far from Anorexia… Now what if they stopped making clothes for people on the other end of the spectrum? Utter shite!
Who the f*** is Jamelia and why should anyone care?
Jamila who ?
It sounds like Jamelia needs some publicity
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