Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important Commencement matter. I also welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is a very simple Commencement matter to ask the Minister to put in place the provisions for the retention of GP services to ensure that the citizens would have access to an appropriate level of GP care in clinics within the communities of Lucan and Adamstown. That is the critical ask. I am raising this on behalf of Councillor Liona O'Toole who has been a councillor there for many years. She is at the coalface in this community and knows the challenges. For those who may not know Lucan and Adamstown well, these are two of the largest strategic development zones within the country. There is rapid expansion of houses, which is great and all very positive.If we are going to put in houses and build and establish communities, it is important that we have the necessary infrastructure including education, childcare, policing and health. Health is critical to all of this. I also acknowledge the importance of the new primary care centres across the country. The Minister of State will be very familiar with them and knows the benefits of them. That is the route we should be going. I am also conscious that the Minister and the Government are not responsible for the day-to-day care services or where a GP decides to locate a clinic. That is an issue for the services and that is the nature of the systems we have in Ireland. There are plans for reform of community care generally in terms of Sláintecare.

As I said, the two areas are part of a strategic development zone. It is a very fast-growing area. I am hearing from Councillor O'Toole that in Lucan and Adamstown, there are people who have been in the community for two or three years and are still travelling to their original family GPs in Meath, other parts of Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare. They have gone to the local GPs and public clinics and been told they are full or do not have the capacity to take on new patients. That is a big problem.

There is a conference in Dublin today about the retention of GPs. I would have loved to have been there. I think it is in the National Conference Centre. One of the challenges there is how we can retain GPs in our communities, be they urban or rural. There is choice and we cannot compel people, but in the public system, under the GMS contract, we should be able to frame our contracts in terms of commitment to communities and identifying deficits. That is for another day, it is not what my Commencement Matter is about. My Commencement Matter is to try to ascertain what commitments the Minister for Health is putting in place to ensure that the people of Lucan and Adamstown can have an adequate GP service. It is vital. Without it, they cannot have further referrals or exploration of issues. Some people are not availing of essential GP interventions or referrals to specialists because they cannot get that relationship. The Minister of State and I know the importance of having the opportunity to develop a close relationship about your health with your local GP. The issue is Adamstown and Lucan, and how we can address the deficits in the health services locally.