At least six in 10 people who do not have medical cards delay going to see their GP or consultant because of the cost involved, a new survey has found.

A similar number of patients also have difficulties when in comes to paying for medication and other health-related expenses.

The survey was carried out in 10 different pharmacies and more than 500 people responded. It included public and private patients and people with at least two chronic conditions.

According to the findings, 63% of people who have to pay to see a GP and 68% who have to pay to see a consultant put off visits because of the cost involved.

The survey also looked at the public hospital system and found that 71% of public patients faced long waiting times to see a consultant, while 52% faced long waiting times to get treatment after a diagnosis.

When it came to the management of chronic conditions, the survey found that half of patients were not asked for their thoughts on a treatment plan and 38% were not consulted about treatment choices.

Meanwhile, 56% said they were not provided with a written list of their prescribed medications, while 72% were not provided with written advice on how to manage their condition at home.

Not surprisingly perhaps, one in four patients believe that the way chronic diseases are managed by the Irish health service needs to be completely overhauled, while over half believe fundamental changes are needed.

The survey, The Patients' Perspective-A Survey of Chronic Disease Management in Ireland, was carried out by the Adelaide Health Foundation and the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin.

"The inequities in the care afforded to both public and private patients are clearly evident in the results of this survey, with the majority of public patients reporting long waiting times to see consultants and receive treatment after diagnosis, as well as having difficulty in accessing specialist tests.

"Private patients are struggling too. They are finding it difficult to pay for medications and other out-of-pocket expenses, and are also delaying attending their GP because of cost," commented the research's lead author, Adelaide assistant professor, Dr Catherine Darker.

She said that the management of chronic diseases is ‘the litmus test for how our health service is performing overall'.

"We cannot be regarded as a caring, mature society until access to high quality healthcare is based on need and not means. Chronic disease management requires a strong, efficient, well-run health system, access to essential medicines and technologies, and a sufficient capacity of well-trained, motivated healthcare staff who are willing and able to collaborate with patients," she insisted.

Dr Darker pointed out that the number of people living with chronic conditions in Ireland is projected to increase by 40% by 2020.

"This is the single biggest challenge facing the Irish healthcare system today. The high prevalence of chronic disease in Ireland indicates a failure of prevention. Our healthcare system is still focused on reacting to acute illnesses and emergency events. Instead we need to adopt a more proactive approach based on promoting health and preventing disease," she added.