Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question.  This is my first time speaking to him as a Deputy.  Congratulations.

  The Minister for Health has asked me to thank the Deputy for raising these matters and for the opportunity to update the Dáil on these important issues.  The Government is clear that primary care centres are a very important part of the infrastructure needed for our health service. They provide a single point of access to healthcare services for patients in communities and are central to moving significant amounts of healthcare away from our acute hospitals.  Significant progress has been made in the delivery of primary care centres, with 179 opened to date.

  The need for a new primary care centre in Gorey was identified as part of the overall primary care centre development programme and had progressed under the operational lease model.  However, the selected provider encountered difficulties regarding viability of the project and, following engagement to attempt to resolve the issues, the HSE decided last year to withdraw from this process and re-advertise in order to progress a primary care centre for Gorey.

  The HSE conducted a review of the current and future service needs for the Gorey area, and it re-advertised the primary care centre on the eTenders procurement platform in November 2024, which is the first step in the procurement process. The second step in this process will involve publishing the next stage of the advertisement to eTenders before the end of this month.  I await the publication of the e-tenders because a bundle of primary care centres is included, one being in Lismore, in my area.  I have met the new regional executive officer of that area, Martina Queally, regarding capital projects in the south-east area.  She has a new team in place.  An analysis has been done of every single project and how each can be moved along as quickly as possible.

  The second step in the process will involve publishing the next stage of the advertisement on eTenders before the end of this month.  We will keep a very close eye on this.

  On the issue the Deputy raised regarding measures being taken to address the shortage of GPs in north Wexford and south Wicklow, under the GMS scheme the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders.  Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP.  As of December last, there were 21 GMS vacancies, which is less than 1%, and no vacancies in Wexford or Wicklow.

  A number of measures have been taken in recent years to increase the number of GPs practising across the country and to improve access to GP services for all patients. Annual intake to the GP training scheme was significantly increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant places made available from 2024.  Everybody will welcome this but I acknowledge that it takes several years for them to come on stream.

  Furthermore, the recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing.  As of October last, there were 114 international medical graduate GPs in practice, and funding has been provided to recruit up to 250 more GPs from outside Ireland this year.  Placement of these GPs is targeted at rural and underserved areas.

  The Minister wishes to assure the Deputy that this Government remains committed to both the continued development of primary care centres, including in Gorey, and to increasing the number of GPs practising throughout the country.

See this speech in context