David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are dealing with this State, which has a particular challenge. That makes for sobering reading. I will build on that. We are at a point where we have 2,807 full time equivalent GPs.

Maybe about 700 are going to retire, 500 of whom are whole-time equivalents. We have to get to 6,000 by 2028 if we want to provide the best general practice service we can provide. By April of this year, 400,000 new patients are going to receive their GP-only card. That is the Government proposal, is it not, that by April of next year, half of the population will be covered by free GP care?