The safety of the Government’s proposed abortion regime has been called into question by the GPs’ union given the lack of resources such as ultrasound machines. The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) warned also that the provision of aftercare had not been addressed and that the insurance needs of GPs who provided abortions needed to be clarified.
The body also criticised the Government for focussing on abortion to the detriment of pregnancy prevention. “The government will provide universal access to the termination of pregnancy, but not equal access towards preventing a pregnancy in the first place,” Máitiú Ó Tuathail, the NAGP president, said. “This is simply bad medicine.”
The NAGP also said that the fee structure agreed for abortions would mean GPs were paid €450 for three visits. By contrast, doctors get paid €250 at present to provide antenatal care for the duration of pregnancy. This could encompass up to 12 visits to a GP, it said. “This neither makes sense, nor can reasonably be justified,” Dr Ó Tuathail said.
