Medical Cards: why are GP's now charging for routine bloodwork, anyone know?

I've been with my doctor, a practice with a few doctors actually, for 10 years now and generaly it's been fine. However over the last few months they have started chaarging med card patients (I've a full med card, not GP only) €20 if bloodwork needs to be done and if you can't or don't want to pay they'll give you a letter for outpatients at a public hospital and tell you to get the bloodwork done there, for free.

I've had several routine blood tests done over the years at that surgery and never had to pay. But now I am being told I have to? I phoned the HSE and was told no, you don't have to pay and that the doctor, any doctor, who charges is in violation of their contact with the HSE. Phoned thee IMO to see what they had to say but was told sorry, we only speak with doctors as we represent doctors. Phoned the Medical Council to be told it's really beyween the doctor and patient or the doctor and the HSE but that I could if I wanted to make a complaint to them and they'd assess it (yeah, right!)

In my doctors practice they have a big IMO poster saying blah blah blah, it is the opinion of the IMO that the HSE is wrong and we can charge for bloodwork - well, not so bluntly but that's in essence what it says. So, the IMO and doctors are in disagreemment with the HSE and then patients are caught in the middle. HSE said I could make a complaint to them and they will contact the doctor to tell them they are in breach of their contract but that seems rather an extreme move as generally the docs are great it's just when it comes to blood tests that things go a bit haywire. Anyone else come across this situation?