People Before Profit Galway has called for universal access to swift medical care for all after an investigation found that people in Galway city are paying an average of €55 tp €65 for a doctor’s appointment.
Adrian Curran, People Before Profit candidate for Galway City Central, said that for many workers, these prices mean trying to avoid going to the doctor even if they need to.
He said that this obviously has knock-on consequences for people’s health and wellbeing, and that it also negatively impacts on our health service in the long run.
“Universal access to swift medical care when people need it is beneficial to individuals and society at large,” said Mr Curran.
“For those with medical cards, it can be difficult to find a GP in Galway and it has become practically impossible to find a dentist.
“Primary care is the foundation stone of a healthy population and good health service. People Before Profit want a properly funded one tier National Health Service. That would include free GP and dental visits, paid for through progressive taxation.
“Ireland has a massive budget surplus and two billionaires who own more wealth than the bottom 50% of the population. There are more than enough resources for us to have top quality public services, it’s a question of how those resources are distributed.”
