Last month Deputy Geoff Southern and Health Minister Richard Renouf struck a deal to bring forward a scheme that will potentially help to fund appointments for certain vulnerable groups in society. The details are yet to be finalised and it is unclear at this stage which groups will benefit from the scheme, but it could include reduced fees or even free appointments.
Dr Nigel Minihane, chairman of the Island’s Primary Care Body, said: ‘We need to wait and see what will come forward.
‘But by putting money in to help those people it will make savings further down the line.’
He added that, in his opinion, around a third of the population struggled to afford to go to see a GP, and it was that 30% of people who were often the most unhealthy and the ones who needed to see a doctor.
‘For example, if someone in that 30% has diabetes and doesn’t go to the doctor’s, they develop complications and maybe lose their eyesight, or lose a leg.
‘That creates extra cost for the system further down the line, so by investing and helping those people see a doctor it will prevent that later on.
‘I think research has shown the average payment made by people is £27.
‘We might get someone through who has lost their job and is having mental-health problems. Are we really going to charge them?
‘That is how things work, but it shouldn’t be that way.’
A proposition will go before the States in February, which will see the Health Minister commit to coming up with a scheme. That will then be voted on in September and, if approved, come into force in January next year.
Dr Phillip Terry, who last week stepped down as chairman of Jersey Doctors on Call, said that he had also found that around a third of Islanders struggled to pay for GPs, and he has welcomed positive government moves to try to address this.
He added: ‘There are groups within society who struggle to pay to see a GP and do run up debts, and there are cases where GPs find it hard to continue seeing them, as GP practices are businesses.
‘However, GPs do support these people with reduced rates and try to help them.
‘The right questions are now being asked and the right things are going on to help this section of society who do need the help.’
