Out-of-hours GP funding
Senator Dolan welcomes new funding for out-of-hours GP services and says it will help a long-stressed regional GP network. The Chair offers a brief, supportive response.
We received fantastic news last Thursday with the notice from the Minster for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, of an allocation of funding for out-of-hours GP services. I have raised this a number of times here in the Seanad on the Order of Business but also through Commencement matters. It was a crisis for our GP network. I am so grateful that the Department of Health and the Minister are looking, seeing and supporting GPs in our region.
It has been a long haul for those GPs. They have been working excess hours and it has been a long time since they have had any type of support. This support for out-of-hours services potentially could be for expansion of the Westdoc scheme into the east Galway area to the Ballinasloe and the south-east Galway side. It is important that we see this is an ongoing support and it will continue in future budgets. From what I understand, this is coming out of our main budget, which is fantastic news. It is absolutely vital support and it means that GPs in our rural areas will be supported into the future.
Comment on this
The Deputy Leader does not need me to extol the praises of greenways, coming, as she does, from Mayo where they were ahead of the posse. I welcome the new north Kerry greenway, which will be opened by the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, on Friday. It is something we in north Kerry are particularly pleased with. I want to acknowledge that and pay tribute to the many people who made this a reality, including the local councillors, particularly Councillor Jimmy Maloney from Listowel whose project it was from the beginning, in conjunction with the local authority and the roads agencies and everyone else involved.
Having walked the greenway prior to its opening, it is only now that we realise how important it was that local landowners and farmers were on side with this project and the effect it could have on them. All the local group of landowners wanted was that the greenway would be delivered to the highest standards. They achieved this under the leadership of a former Fine Gael councillor, a neighbour of mine, Denis Keane Stack, who the Leas-Chathaoirleach will know very well. They played their part. All they wanted was the highest standards, for which future generations of Listowel people and north-Kerry people will thank them.
