Written answers
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
General Practitioner Services
Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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497. To ask the Minister for Health to confirm that funding will be provided to allow for the continuation of the two-year programme now in place which facilitates the training of qualified doctors from non-EU countries to qualify as general practitioners and work in this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3644/24]
Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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498. To ask the Minister for Health to confirm that additional funding will be provided in 2024 to enable the two-year programme which is currently in place for the training of non-EU doctors as general medical practitioners so to enable the number of trainees to increase from 100 per annum to 150 per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3645/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 497 and 498 together.
GP recruitment is ongoing under the joint HSE and ICGP non-EU GP Training Programme. 112 non-EU GPs were recruited last year under the training programme with 75 having started in GP practice at year end.
Under the programme, doctors work in general practice for a 2-year period following which they can take up an Irish GMS contract (the normal training period is four years). The programme targets the placement of GPs to rural areas and areas with lower levels of services provision. This will further increase capacity in general practice and access to services in these areas.
Following the programme’s success in 2023, funding has been made available for the planned recruitment of up to 250 more non-EU GPs this year.
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