Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The main problem we have in County Kerry starts out in the community, that is, people being able to access a local GP. Whether it is in Waterford or south, east, mid-, north or west Kerry, getting access to the local GP is the problem. Trying to make it attractive for GPs to live in our communities as they did before and provide a local service is the biggest problem we have. We should give that service in the communities on a 24-hour basis. I appreciate very much the work that SouthDoc does. I appreciate the drivers. I appreciate Dr. Gary Stack in Killarney and the other people who organise it and have always been to the forefront of keeping SouthDoc going in County Kerry. I thank every person who provides the service.

However, we still need more doctors. We have had excellent doctors. The Minister is talking about naming people negatively. I wish to name people positively. I will name my own great doctor, Dr. Boland, who represented Kilgarvan and Kenmare for decades and gave Trojan service 24 hours per day, seven days a week. It is the same thing with the two doctors O'Driscoll in Kenmare. They are great people who gave a great service.

Unfortunately, it is not attractive anymore, from a business point of view, for a person to come along, operate out of a facility, have insurance and provide that service locally. We have to do more to make it attractive. If we can do that, we may be able to keep people away from hospitals and keep accident and emergency departments free for what they are supposed to be free for, that is, accidents and emergencies.

There is a tremendous problem in Kerry University Hospital at present when a person goes there. It is not acceptable. I have said before that if a cow goes down tonight and that cow needs a vet, it would be absolutely outrageous to think the vet would not be there in one, two hours or three hours. It would be outrageous. The cruelty-to-animal people would be down on top of you and everybody would say you were a scandal to have a cow in pain, have something wrong with her or have her needing an operation. However, no notice in the world is taken where a person is in an accident and emergency department for 24 hours or two or three days.

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