Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

From the inability to find a GP with the capacity to take on new patients, to dental services being unable to provide the most urgent procedures within an acceptable timeframe, to home support hours being inadequate, rural Ireland is being left behind. After being contacted by yet another constituent who is experiencing difficulties in getting orthodontic treatment for their child I was told that in the second quarter of 2020, 859 children classed as being in grade five of that index were waiting for orthodontic treatment for 48 months or more. In quarter 2 of 2023 that figure increased from 859 children to 1,474 with nearly half of those in the south east. This indicates the scale of the problem that is not just affecting these children now but will affect them in the years to come, unless they get the treatment abroad.

At a time when our emergency departments are coming under increasing pressure, especially UHL, we find that more than two out of three GPs in rural Ireland are not taking on new patients, while waiting times increase. At the end of last year I asked the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, what his plans were to increase GP capacity in Tipperary. The second line of his response was shocking. He said that there is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients, yet the IMO outlined there are seven GPs per 10,000 of population and that this figure needs to get to at least 12 GPs per 10,000 to ensure a safe and effective service. What data is the Department applying to its plans, especially in rural Ireland given its geographical makeup?

On this issue, Sinn Féin would implement a multi-annual strategic workforce plan to meet rising demands and would develop this plan with healthcare workers, the health service and the higher education institutes to address short-, medium- and long-term workforce challenges. In addition to this, we would directly employ GPs to support local community health services rather than taking the Government's arms-length approach.

The current challenges also indicate this Government's failure to prepare the most basic approach, matching ageing and population growth with increased resources. This affects dental services not just GPs given that the number of dentists providing services for medical card patients have more than halved since 2019. This Government had failed to plan and failed to prepare. Sinn Féin has a plan it is ready to put in place because the people of rural Ireland deserve more.

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