Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is no secret that there is a shortage of general practitioner services in many parts of Ireland and my constituency of Louth and east Meath is no different. Not a week goes by without constituents coming into my constituency office begging for medical access. The Louth GP shortage has left patients in Drogheda facing a two-year wait to register with a local doctor. Just this week, I have one constituent waiting since February and at least three others waiting weeks to access a GP panel. Not only are these constituents being told by local GPs they do not have the capacity to take them in the short term, but GPs cannot even give an assurance that they will be able to increase capacity in the future.

In February, a survey of 275 registered GPs nationwide conducted by the Irish Independent revealed that more than 50% of GPs cannot accept new patients. There is no doubt that right across the country, but particularly in rural areas, we are watching the slow demise of health services, despite hundreds of millions being added to the national health budget. The Tánaiste emphasised that there has been much work on primary care, which is a cornerstone. Can the Minister for Health please answer the question about the shortage of GPs?

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