Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I agree. We have to continue with the graduate training posts but we have to go much further than that. I talked to a rural GP from the Deputy's neck of the woods in Waterford a while ago, and she estimated that her maternity leave, which she totally funded herself, will cost her approximately €60,000. This is a brilliant young GP in Waterford. She was considering splitting a GMS list as she wanted to change the balance and pull back, but the rules are not in place to allow her to do that. As a result, she was thinking about moving to Australia. That is just completely unacceptable.

Yes, we need to increase the number of training places, but what I want from the review this year is for us to listen carefully to GPs, at various stages of their lives, to hear what they need to make this a job that would attract them, they would stay in and where they would continue to develop and work with others in a multidisciplinary way.

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