Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to add my voice to what Deputy Cullinane has said regarding the lack of capacity in terms of GP services. While we welcome the changes that are being brought in regarding eligibility and extending the children's eligibility for medical cards, it is vital that we will be able to deliver upon that. We have a bad history in the context of offering primary care services. As a result of that, we have put added pressure on acute hospitals, which has been seen recently during the pandemic. Since 2008, a primary care centre has been promised for Dundalk. This centre would also offer disability services, mental health services, dietary advice and a swathe of other services.

I call on the Government to begin works like that as soon as possible. Again, this is the sort of necessary work with a definite health impact that we would like to see carried out as part of the July stimulus.

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