Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To pick up on what my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, said about Cappoquin, this is a case in point. We are trying to get GPs into rural communities. This GP practice is seeking to become a training centre for GPs. Because of the delays with this, it is unable to do that. That is creating downstream issues.

Dungarvan lost a GP to retirement a number of years ago. I, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and others worked very hard to get appropriate care for many of that GP's patients. Many of them have been forced to travel significant distances, including people who are ill, older or infirm. We need to grapple with that. How can we ensure there are GPs not just in our small towns and villages but also in larger towns so people can access GP care where they live? Key to that will be elements of Deputy Cullinane's landmark policy proposal published last year. Directly employing GPs within the health service is an important aspect.

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