Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If we have a GP service that is constrained by an outdated contract and unable to deliver chronic care in the community, our hospital system will be further overwhelmed. We will face the prospect of rising trolley counts, increased accident and emergency unit overcrowding and increased hospital waiting lists.

Will the Tánaiste assure the House that negotiations are being pursed as a matter of urgency and indicate a target date for their completion? It is imperative that, as a first step in planning our health care reform, the Government develop and build a modern, GP-led primary care service that is underpinned by a new GP contract.

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