Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are caught between the chicken and the egg. The medical students I know who either went straight in at undergraduate level or through graduate entry medicine have left because of the pressure on the system. I have a number of friends in their late 20s and early 30s who have done this. This is in general and not just on the GP system. We are caught in a never-ending loop of pressure on the system causing people to leave and people not leaving once we deal with the pressure on the system. If we do not get people to stay we will not deal with the pressure in the system. The witnesses put forward proposals specifically regarding GP practice and how they would close the loop. Do they feel there is political will to support this? They have come before the committee and we are supportive but do they think there is a genuine will or interest to deal with this? This comes up in every sector. People are leaving because there is too much pressure, then we cannot get people in to deal with the pressure and, therefore, we cannot keep people. Not to be a miserable Mavis on this but is this part of a perpetual system we are trapped in for the next while? Do the witnesses think if genuine efforts were made to take on their concerns, specifically with regard to the GP sector, that we could start undoing some of the damage that is being caused by people leaving?