Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately I have to run to the Seanad in the next few minutes. I first pay tribute to the GP community throughout the country for the role they have played in this pandemic, particularly in the roll-out of vaccines and the booster vaccine. If it was not for the significant role GPs and general practice played in general, that roll-out would not have been the success it is today.

Clearly, based on the figures Deputy Cullinane outlined earlier with regard to expected retirements and those going through the system, we are not going to have enough GPs over the next ten years. In fact, we will be down on the numbers we have now. What can be done in the short term to attract GPs from abroad who might be prepared to come to Ireland and locate here? What can we do immediately to make it attractive for GPs abroad to come and be employed in this country?

My second concern relates to the out-of-hours service. This is clearly an important service, particularly in rural areas where people are not as near emergency departments as they would be in Dublin or other cities. Some out-of-hours services are working very well and others are not. Clearly, funding is needed. Are the witnesses aware of examples internationally where out-of-hours services are working well? It is obviously a matter of resources but if there are lessons that can be learned or if there is an international model that we can emulate, we need to hear about it. I fully support the need to review the service because we need a system that is unified and that works in every part of the country, not just in some.