Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

——ill health and changes from the practice of hospitalisation to primary care. If the results of the survey are an indication of the level of service delivery we can expect in the west of Ireland in future, it is high time to flag to the Minister for Health and Children the seriousness of the scenario we face. Of those surveyed, 54% work in single-doctor practices. We are aware of the serious consequences of a lack of after-hours availability of general practitioners in the west.

I reject Senator Dooley's assertion that general practitioners are overpaid and have too much money. It is a scurrilous accusation to make against people who are trying to deliver a service to people in need.