BY JEROME HUGHES
A LEADING Donegal GP has said a call to introduce formal contracts between GPs and Garda stations is unworkable.
Dr Denis McCauley was speaking after a proposal was put forward by a Donegal TD to increase GP cover in Garda stations.
It follows the case where a man with psychiatric issues was detained by Gardaí in Donegal because they couldn’t locate a doctor.
The mentally ill man was held at a Garda station in the south of the county for 12 hours because there were no GPs available to assess him and sign the forms needed for hospital admission.
“This is not only unfair to the man being held but also to the Gardaí who were unable to do anything else while this man was in their care.
They were forced to ring 12 different GPs but none were available. Garda resources are very limited in rural communities and so Gardai are not in a position to be tied up for a whole day trying to find a GP,” Independent TD for Donegal Thomas Pringle told Dáil Éireann.
Deputy Pringle condemned the incident as “completely unacceptable” and urged the establishment of a system where GPs are contracted to Garda stations to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future.
The proposal has been dismissed by Dr McCauley, one of the county’s leading GPs based in Stranorlar. He cites concerns regarding adequate resourcing as a significant obstacle.
“This situation is endemic to the workload that general practitioners are facing at the present minute. 12 hours is a long time. There are people waiting in causality for 24 hours to see a doctor,” said Dr McCauley.
“The demands put on general practice greatly outstrip the ability for them to be able to handle that workload. An additional on-call plan like the one proposed would be untenable in the current circumstances.
“The possibility of us taking on any extra work is not a runner and this type of proposal is definitely not a runner!
“A Police Surgeon is what they’re talking about, like they have in large urban areas, particularly in the UK. In Donegal that just cannot be done.”
According to Dr. McCauley, the current system generally functions effectively, and he views the revealed case as a rare occurrence.
“This sounds like quite a unique situation and one that, I would imagine, wouldn’t happen too often. Normally there is good communication and cooperation between GPs and the guards,” he said.
“I wouldn’t change a system that generally functions to a system that definitely wouldn’t function. It’s unfortunate. Generally it works. This time it didn’t but don’t change the system.”
In addressing Deputy Pringle’s concerns in the Dáil, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly acknowledged that the situation regarding the man’s detention by Gardaí, ostensibly for his own safety, was regrettable and should have been prevented.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)