Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. This issue is so critical that GPs in the Carrickmacross area got together and penned their own letter of concern to suggest the town needs more GPs to provide the service that is needed due to the increasing age demographic and the cultural diversity of the population. When GPs are coming together and putting pen to paper like that, it backs up what NEDOC is saying because one cannot survive without the other. Will the Minister of State ask the Minister to ensure the HSE fully engages with Dr. Séamus McMenamin on this issue of acute doctor shortages and the underfunding by the HSE.

I came to this debate with a solution as well and not expecting that that would not be the appropriate approach to take. One arm of my solution is to extend Monaghan minor injuries unit and its operation to a 24-7 basis.

That is not currently the situation. It is a five-day service. The Minister visited the hospital when we were in opposition and he felt the enthusiasm and willingness of the staff within the minor injuries unit to extend the service. That could be a help to NEDOC. It could be a help to the lack of GPs on the ground. More important, it would be a significant help to the constituents of Cavan-Monaghan who use the minor injuries unit. It is a large service that is expanding all the time but we need the length of service to extend, along with the variety of services provided. We need it to go to a 24-7 basis.

I compliment Councillor Seamus Coyle of Monaghan County Council who raised this matter and had a motion passed unanimously asking that of the RCSI group.

I ask the Minister of State's Department and the Department of Health to engage with Dr. Ian Carter, the top man in the RCSI group, and ask him to accede to this request to run the minor injuries clinic on a 24-7 basis.

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