Rural GP shortages
Deputy Eamon Scanlon, joined by Deputy Martin Kenny, warned of mass GP retirements, gaps in rural medical services and shortages of occupational therapists in Leitrim and Sligo. The Taoiseach said GP training places and rural allowances had increased, the model was changing, and talks with GP bodies could open the way to more salaried posts.
According to reports in the national newspapers yesterday, over 900 general practitioners will retire over the next five years. I understand that 50% of GPs in County Leitrim will retire over the next seven years. The HSE has failed to get a doctor to attend to people in the town of Kinlough, which has grown substantially in recent years and has quite a large catchment area. As a doctor, the Taoiseach knows that the front-line soldiers in the health care system send people into the secondary care system. If we do not have enough doctors, our accident and emergency units will be flooded. They are extremely bad and they are going to get an awful lot worse. A new recruitment drive is needed to retain GPs who have trained in this country. We need them to stay here. I understand from media reports this morning that there are plenty of training places. It is not the case that we do not have enough places for training doctors. The problem is that doctors are leaving the country when they are trained. We need to do something. I suggest we should push ahead with the primary medical care centres, which are part of Government policy, and organise a promotion to keep the doctors here. If that were done, it would be a major help.
Comment on this
I was going to raise the same matter because I have learned that over 50% of GPs in County Leitrim will be gone in the next seven years. There are significant problems with medical services in rural Ireland. The programme for Government includes a commitment to increase the number of occupational therapists and language therapists. County Leitrim is meant to have two occupational therapists, but both of them are on leave and have not been replaced. The occupational therapy service in County Sligo is operating at less than 50% of capacity. These are serious issues for families throughout the country, particularly the families of people with disabilities. An effort needs to be made to try to deliver on some of this stuff.
Comment on this
The number of training places for GPs has been increased. The rural practice allowance, which incentivises GPs to work in rural areas, is now more generous than it has ever been before. I signed that order a year or so ago. The model is changing. Fewer GPs are willing to work single-handed or to take on the enormous debts that are required to establish a practice. One of the features of the negotiations that are going to start with the GP representative organisations is the possibility of having more salaried positions. Under such an approach, the Government would pay people a salary to work as GPs in particular areas.
