I wish to address and highlight the comments made by the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, last weekend when he took the opportunity, yet again, to take a swipe at general practitioners, GPs, and to blame them for contributing to the current health crisis and overcrowding at accident and emergency departments. Over the past week, I have spoken to a number of GPs and they conveyed to me how disappointed, angered and saddened they were by the Taoiseach's comments and even more so due to the fact that he is a GP himself. All Senators know and appreciate the vital role that GPs play in the health service. They are the first point of contact for many of us whenever we become unwell. The Taoiseach's comments were insulting to all of the hardworking GPs who work throughout this country. He demonstrated a lack of understanding of what is needed to address the critical situation that exists in the accident and emergency departments.

Perilous.

Let me be very clear. GPs only refer patients to accident and emergency departments when they, in their professional opinion, feel it is in the best interest of their patients to do so. To say otherwise is an insult to GPs. It is an insult to their professional integrity and insults a profession that is one of the most respected throughout this country. Clearly, we need the Government to provide our hardworking GPs with more resources, which would allow them to expand the services they currently give. Action, and not talk, is needed immediately to tackle the overcrowding situation we read about every day of the week.