Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for tabling this motion. I also pay my sympathies to Deputy Michael Collins on the loss of his nephew.

Where to start? The reality is we have a very serious problem within our GP sector and within rural Ireland in general in the provision of healthcare. Our GPs do not feel supported, as we have heard a number of times. I noted the comments of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in respect of the number of GPs who will qualify in the next three years. There is no guarantee those GPs will enter our system. We have heard similar figures quoted with respect to An Garda Síochána and our teachers but we do not seem to be able to recruit them when the time comes. I ask for some scheme or incentive to be put in place such as the one that exists in the UK. As I have mentioned before, when GPs or dental practitioners undertake training in the UK, they sign up to the public health service for two years. They do two years' mandatory service within the public health service before they escape the country for their fling of travel or whatever else. We need to seriously consider an approach that would allow us to recruit all of the GPs who are qualifying.

I am discouraged by something I received in the post from a dentist. It refers to something of a letter of hope from the Department. We all know that prevention is better than cure and any GP will tell us that dental care is the essence of anybody's entire health. If people do not have a dental practitioner or are not looking after their dental health, they are likely to be sick in general. This letter went out on 31 January and is addressed, "Dear dentist". I am not going to read it in its entirety but I will refer to its last paragraph. It states that the Department regularly updates the list of dentists which it provides to medical card patients. It states that, as outlined in the dental treatment scheme, it is difficult for patients if the HSE is providing them with a list of contract holders who are not actively involved in providing care under the scheme. It further states that the Department hopes the dentists to whom the letter is addressed will reconsider accepting new patients under the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, so as to maximise the opportunities for medical cardholders to access the care they need.

A note was included in the correspondence that was addressed to me. It states that the letter from which I have quoted reflects the attitude of the HSE towards the dental profession and that attitude is what has led to the mass exodus from the scheme in recent years. It states that while the fee structure reflects charges of 15 years ago, the reality is that most dentists are reducing their exposure to these schemes with a view to exiting at the earliest opportunity.

I am sure the Minister of State shares my concerns about that correspondence. Some people who are in need of a hip replacement have come to my office. They cannot have the anaesthetic without the all-clear from a dentist, and because they are new medical patients, they do not have dentists and cannot get appointments.

Quite often, I have gone to a dentist myself and asked if they would undertake to see a patient so the patient could have the more serious healthcare treatment. This is going under the radar entirely. It is predominant in rural towns and, for GPs, in villages. I am from the Hook Peninsula. It is very difficult for a GP there to get a replacement to undertake holiday care or anything like it. I will not start on CDNT and CAMHS because my colleague is going to speak, but we could have ten debates on this.

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