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Ireland: Competition Authority action brings welcome change for doctors, patients

By  |  March 25, 2013

Pressure for Ireland’s Competition Authority to open a medical card scheme that allows for more flexibility for general practitioners to open their own practices has lead to increased competition and a higher quality of choice for private patients in the industry, according to reports. The Authority first suggested the change in 2009 but caved to pressure to initiate the overhaul last year. Since, the nation has seen about 100 practitioners set up new practices in the past year. The legislation prevents “closed shop” restrictions from barring general practitioners from joining the State’s medical card scheme, which allows the doctor’s to receive a guaranteed annual payment from the government for each patient with a card.

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