Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and more GPs have contracts with the HSE than ever before. What are we doing about it? We have increased the rural practice allowance and made it easier to qualify for that. A sum of €2 million has been set aside for a particular effort to recruit and retain GPs in urban areas. We have an agreement with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, to reverse the reductions in fees, that is, to reverse the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI. We are also increasing the number of training places. I was delighted to see just a few days ago that a record number of young doctors applied for the GP scheme. Never before have so many GPs applied to get on the GP scheme. We will have to increase the number of places again. That we have the highest ever number of applicants for the scheme shows that confidence is returning to general practice, and that is a great.

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