Former NAGP head says it was ‘wrong’ not to have access to GP contract

THE FORMER PRESIDENT of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) has said that it was “wrong” that this group of general practitioners did not have in view the draft of the contract agreed by the government in April 2019.

Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail issued a statement last night amid the controversy sparked by a story in Village magazine about the disclosure of this information to the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to the NAGP on the draft contract between the government and the Irish Medical Organization (IMO).

On Saturday night, the Tánaiste acknowledged that it was not “best practice” to provide a government document to a medical organization through informal channels, but rejected allegations that it violated any laws in doing so.

Varadkar’s statement said he “regrets” not ensuring that it was provided in a more “appropriately formal” manner.

The statement said this was after “essential details” of the contract were publicly released earlier that month.

“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 promote acceptance of the Agreement among the general practitioner community.

The Tánaiste accepts that the provision of the Agreement through an informal communication channel to the President of the NAGP was not a good practice and regrets not having ensured that it was delivered in a more appropriate and formal manner.

“However, there was nothing illegal at all in the provision of the Agreement to the president of the NAGP,” the statement added.

The Irish Medical Organization is the largest representative body for Irish physicians. But starting in 2013, he faced some competition from the National Association of General Practitioners, a body that aimed to represent GPs and was seeking to quickly attract new members.

The NAGP had voiced its opinion on its exclusion from government talks on general practitioner contracts, leading it to criticize the process. The body went into liquidation in July 2019.

Dr. Ó Tuathail, who was president of the NAGP at the time, said in a joint statement with former NAGP president Dr. Andrew Jordan that the organization had been “involved in extensive consultations with the Department of Health and the HSE on Chronic Disease Management Through 2018 Program ″.

They added: “As a result of these conversations, which lasted for two years, the association learned of the main content of the proposed new contract sought by the State.”

“We received a copy of the finalized, agreed and announced program for chronic disease management from the then Taoiseach in mid-April. This was seen as a continuation of the Government’s decision to consult with the NAGP and its GP members and keep them informed at all times.

We could not take a position on the chronic disease management program as a union without full access to the details it contains.

It was incorrect for one group of GPs to have access to the details of a chronic disease management program and for another group of GPs not to have the same access to that information, given that the NAGP and its members participated in its training .

“The chronic disease management program was going to be implemented for all GPs, and therefore all GPs had the right to understand what the program entailed and what would be required of them.”

The Tánaiste is expected to make a statement in the Dáil tomorrow on these issues amid criticism from the opposition and concerns from Fine Gael’s coalition partners.

The Green Party has said that Varadkar’s actions “were not appropriate”, while Fianna Fáil TD and Education Minister Norma Foley said yesterday that a “very frank” statement was needed.

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, who also spoke on RTÉ’s This Week program, accused Varadkar of “hiding behind lame excuses.”

“On what planet can the Tánaiste say that this behavior was acceptable and appropriate?” he said.

With reporting by Dominic McGrath