Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also extend my deepest sympathies to Deputy Collins, his family and friends on the very sad loss of his nephew.

I commend the Rural Independent Group on tabling this important motion on an issue that affects every community in my constituency of Clare. As I have mentioned in this House on many occasions, GP availability in Clare is 33% below the national average. Meanwhile, we saw in the recent census results that Clare is on a par with the national increases in population. People from all sides of the county contact my office every day to say they cannot find a GP or they are waiting a long time for an appointment. Ennis GP, Máire Finn, was on Clare FM yesterday and she stated she feels cruel having to refer patients to University Hospital Limerick, UHL. There are practices in Kilrush, Newmarket on Fergus and other areas that have significant question marks over their long-term sustainability because the pipeline of GPs is not there.

Last year, I called for the rural general practice grant to be increased; it was not. I have called for the General Medical Services scheme to be reformed; it has not. I have called for greater oversight of the €2 million of public money that we give to Shannondoc almost every year and that has not happened. If we want more GPs in rural Ireland, we need to move away from treating GPs as private contractors, bring them under the HSE, have the HSE provide the premises and the nursing and administrative staff to support them, and overhaul the IT system to cut their paperwork in half. In areas where GP sustainability is not guaranteed, we need the Minister to put in place financial incentives that are greater than the rural practice grant to make those posts more attractive. We need to do all of this quickly to make care in the community a reality for my constituents in Clare and all the people of rural Ireland and not just a slogan or a line in a manifesto.

I wish to mention briefly the availability of dentists. Almost three years ago, I organised with a dentist in a neighbouring county to secure appointments for my constituents. That worked for a period until that dentist reached capacity. Having no access to a GP or dentist has been leading to delays in care and, more often now, no care whatsoever being provided.

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