Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

It is in line with increases in every developed country. The part of the Euro Health Consumer Index report that relates to general practitioner waiting times makes a blanket statement that patients in Ireland do not enjoy same-day services from family doctors. That is simply wrong. Irish patients are able to avail of GP services — over 42% of them have medical cards or GP medical cards. If the report in question gets something as basic as that so fundamentally wrong, I do not know why I am here answering about it at all. I have to do that because that is what I am paid to do. General practitioners in every parish and community in Ireland see their patients on a same-day basis on most days of the year.

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