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The GP union at the center of the controversy over the Leo Varadkar leak threatened to campaign against Fine Gael in local and general elections two months before it leaked a confidential payment agreement for doctors to the organization.
The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) issued the stern warning to Fine Gael TDs on February 11, 2019, three months before the local and European elections.
However, in April 2019, Varadkar, who was then Taoiseach, leaked a copy of a contract that the Government agreed with the Irish Medical Organization (IMO) with the then president of the NAGP, Dr. Maitiú Ó’Tuathail, which he was also a personal friend.
In the NAGP letter, which was signed by union chief executive Chris Goodey, TDs were told that GPs intended to campaign against their local Fine Gael TDs, senators and councilors unless were included in salary negotiations with IMO on a new GP contract.
“This activity could involve up to 2,100 individual GPs briefing their patients personally on the health policies of Fine Gael TDs and councilors in the upcoming local and general elections, and the detrimental effect these policies are having on services. to patients in the community ”. Mr Goodey said.
“Our members inform us that they will inform their patients about the failures in the health service and the role of Fine Gael in the disappearance of community services and GPs,” he added.
Mr. Goodey said that this may include posters in waiting rooms and campaigns from GPs on local radio stations and in regional newspapers. The union said its members intended to use their “unique strategic position within the community” to influence the upcoming local and general elections.
“All other political parities have voiced support for the NAGP’s active participation in the negotiation and reform process,” Goodey said.
“This letter is to inform you of the state of mind of our individual members, but also to record the willingness of the NAGP council to try to prevent further spontaneous escalation of this dispute over GP representation and contract reforms.” he added.
Mr. Varadkar provided Dr. Ó Tuathail with a copy of the IMO GP contract on a date between April 11-16, 2019.
He said he hoped that the NAGP president would be able to convince its members to accept the GP contract agreed with IMO.
He said the delivery of the contract to Dr. Ó Tuathail must be seen in the context of the “potential injustice” of the NAGP being excluded from the negotiations.
Mr. Varadkar also said he was “honoring a political commitment” made by the Government to keep the NAGP up to date on the contract talks.
The Tánaiste has admitted that “it was not the best practice” to send the contract to Dr. Ó Tuathail at that time and it should have been “provided in a more appropriate and formal manner”.
“The delivery of a copy of the Agreement to Dr. Ó Tuathail, in his capacity as President of the NAGP, occurred in circumstances where the legitimate objective of this action was to foster acceptance of the Agreement among the general practitioner community,” he said a statement from Fine Gael. .
Online editors
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