Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I appreciate the Minister of State's response, he did not address the issues. He referred to additional general practice places and so forth. Doctors are deciding their fate with their feet by choosing to emigrate. A doctor who was in practice in Tipperary for ten years emigrated recently, leaving a major void in the town. For two years, a practice with 800 medical card holders in my home town of Thurles failed to attract a single applicant to take it over, although a locum recently agreed to take it over for six months.

It is obvious that the terms and conditions available to general practitioners are not sufficiently attractive to persuade young doctors to take up the challenge of running general practices in both urban and rural areas. The severe cuts imposed under the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation must be reversed immediately. A new contract must be introduced to make it financially attractive for young doctors to take up the challenge of general practice. Investment in primary care centres will be part of addressing this challenge because it will generate substantial savings in secondary care. A doctor told me recently that it was no longer practical to stitch cuts sustained by young men playing hurling and all these cases are being referred to accident and emergency departments. This adds significantly to the costs of accident and emergency units and worsens overcrowding.

I appeal to the Minister of State to address this problem, which is getting worse by the day as the age profile of doctors increases. A contract must be introduced with terms and conditions that will convince young doctors to remain in Ireland.

See this speech in context