Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Is the Government still committed to the primary care strategy? For instance, what has happened to the ten pilot projects established under that strategy? What about the roll-out of the network of primary care centres that were to have been put in place? What is the status of that proposition at this point?

Will the Department carry out a comprehensive survey of GP cover area by area throughout the country? Why has the Department not already done so, recognising that there are large swathes of this jurisdiction where GP cover is clearly inadequate and where locally-based GPs are making heroic efforts to provide cover to their dependent communities? It is not only in rural areas in different parts of the State that there is inadequate GP cover but it is also a fact of life in many urban centres, including, in particular, the north inner city area of Dublin.

On the need for additional trained medical cover, what is being done to increase the number of training places for medical students who intend to go and are committed to going into general practice?

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