A group representing GPs has called on the country's 2,300 family doctors to refuse to sign any contract which would allow free care for children under the age of six.

The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), which represents 1,200 GPs, is recommending to both members and non-members not to sign any such contract. It said GPs have ‘an ethical and moral responsibility to prevent the introduction of a scheme which will only serve to increase the abhorrent inequities in our health service'.

"With hundreds of patients on trolleys in our emergency departments every day and medical cards being removed from or denied to cancer patients, it is morally reprehensible to invest scarce public funds into providing free care to any group of people who do not have a genuine medical or financial need," the association stated.

It said that it has continually asked the Minister for Health to postpone the introduction of the under-6 scheme ‘and to invest instead in resolving the very serious issues being experienced by gravely ill and vulnerable patients'.

"We have been left with no alternative but to recommend on a point of principle that GPs refuse to sign any contract providing free care to under-6s," commented Cavan GP and NAGP national council member, Dr Michael McConville.

Responding to this, Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, pointed out that as GPs are self-employed, it is up to each individual doctor whether they want to sign up to any new contract. He said that he thinks a majority of GPs will sign up for the scheme and he is disappointed that the NAGP has made this recommendation.