David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

166. To ask the Minister for Health the steps she will take to improve access to GP and dentistry services. [64614/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Several measures have been taken both to increase the number of GPs practising in the State and thereby improve access to GP services, and to improve access to dentistry services.

Over €340 million in additional annual investment in general practice has been provided under the 2019 and 2023 GP GMS Agreements. The Agreements provide for increased GP capitation fees, increased and new supports for practices, as well as new fees for additional services. The 2023 Agreement also provided for the expansion of GP visit card eligibility in 2023 to all children under 8 years of age and all those who earn up to the median household income.

The annual intake of doctors into the GP training programme has been increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant training places made available in 2024 and again in 2025. The number of new entrant training places is to increase again next year by 50 places to 400. As a result, the number of GP graduates has increased in recent years and will continue to increase in the coming years.

In addition, recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme. As of end of Q3, there are 115 IMG GPs within the programme currently placed in general practice and a further 39 have completed the 2-year programme. The placement of IMG GPs is targeted to rural and underserved areas.

The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. A package of measures was introduced in 2022 to expand the care available under the DTSS and significantly increase the fees paid to contractors. These measures have improved access to care: payments for contractor claims in 2024 show 227,691 additional treatments were provided nationally under the DTSS, with over 44,208 extra patients treated when compared with 2022. Access to care has continued to improve this year, an additional 5,802 patients have been treated, and a further 14,640 treatments provided in the January-October 2025 period compared to the same period in 2024.

The HSE Public Dental Service aims to provide an oral examination and necessary treatment for children at ages approximating to second and sixth class and, in some cases, fourth class. Emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16 and for those with complex and additional needs. The current child oral health examination programme delivered by HSE clinics has been impacted by capacity challenges in recent years. The HSE is working to support access to this current model of care, while substantive service reform proceeds through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy (NOHP).

In the long term, the Government is committed to fundamentally reforming oral healthcare services through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte.

The Policy has two key goals:

• to provide the supports to enable every individual to achieve their personal best oral health.
• to reduce oral health inequalities across the population, by enabling vulnerable groups to access oral healthcare and improve their oral health.