Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Despite the Minister's reply, I do not believe the scarcity of GPs is being addressed. We spoke about health services the other night and about giving people the option of being cared for in their own homes. The preferred option of most people in their old age would be to be looked after in the security and comfort of their own home but if we do not have a proper GP service in rural Ireland that cannot happen. I can give examples of seven different locations in my county which are now without a GP. This is a career choice for young graduates coming out of medical school but it is not financially viable for them to go into practice. A doctor who practised for 15 years in a rural town in Tipperary has decided to emigrate to Canada and it is obvious that there is something seriously wrong with the way GPs are funded by the HSE.

The issue has to be addressed as a matter of urgency. A lot of the infrastructure in rural Ireland is under huge pressure but if we lose our GP infrastructure it will be a death knell for people. We just cannot do without it. I appeal to the Minister to examine the pay structure but other things can be done to alleviate some of the pressure on GPs. Paperwork is a huge burden and if a group of practices were given a project manager to look after the paperwork for them it would be a great help to them. It has to be recognised that rural practitioners are different from practitioners in the large urban centres and have to be catered for accordingly.

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