Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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436. To ask the Minister for Health the measures he plans to implement to ensure the retention of newly qualified doctors in the health system in view of shortages at general practitioner level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41870/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to the continued development of GP capacity to ensure that patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future. I want to ensure that existing GP services are retained and that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly-qualified GPs.

Efforts undertaken in recent years to increase the number of practicing GPs include changes to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate more flexible/shared GMS/GP contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme, allowing GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72nd birthday, as well as the introduction of enhanced supports for rural GP practices. These steps should help to address the future demand for GPs by enticing GPs who may have ceased practicing for family or other reasons back into the workforce, facilitating GPs to work past the standard retirement age and encouraging more GPs to work in rural areas.

Separately, the State is seeking to train more GPs to provide GP services to the population. In 2009, there were 120 GP training places and in 2017 there were 170 training places filled, an increase of over 40%. The Government is committed to further increasing this number to 259 places annually in future years.

My Department, the HSE and the Irish College of General Practitioners are committed to working together in a positive drive to improve the recruitment and retention in general practice in the coming years. The objective is to achieve further increases in the number of GP training places in future years, and to ensure that all the available places are filled, in order to meet the future manpower needs of general practice. The ICGP are currently carrying out a social media campaign in advance of the 2018 GP training recruitment process, in order to promote the profession of general practice, and thus to encourage applicants for GP training. A dedicated website has been created (www.beagp.com) which provides tailored information for medical undergraduates in Ireland and internationally who are interested in becoming a GP.