Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am raising the issue because there is a crisis in rural GP services. Given the age profile of rural GPs and the regional imbalances in it, there is genuine concern that rural GP practices are not feasible or viable and that, as doctors retire, there will be no applications. Given the age profile, there will be a steady increase in the number of rural GPs retiring. If we do not have incentives or encouragement to sustain rural GP practices, we will have difficulty maintaining services in those areas.

Last week, there was a meeting in Bansha in south Tipperary. Dr. Marguerite Madden is retiring, and a large crowd turned out to highlight their concerns about attracting a GP to take over the practice. This is not the first time it has happened. We have had problems in Laois, Blarney in Cork a few years ago, and in Ballybunion more recently. If there were sustainability, viability and financial incentive, people would not refuse to take up these practices.

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