Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
145. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if she has any plan to address the difficulty people are currently having registering with a GP in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28371/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra147. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the significant waiting lists for patients seeking to join GP practices in Galway east; the measures her Department are taking to ensure that individuals who require regular primary care reviews, including those transferring from another county (details supplied), can access a GP in a timely manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28465/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 147 together.
GPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients, and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in any area.
Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. There are currently 2,611 GPs contracted to provide services under the GMS Scheme. A further 633 GPs do not hold a GMS contract but hold some other contract(s) with the HSE for the delivery of health services.
In accordance with the GMS contract, where a medical card or GP visit card holder, or a person eligible for either card, experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE Eligibility Unit which has the power to assign a GMS patient to a GP's GMS patient list.
Persons who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with.
As per the Programme for Government, the Government is committed to increasing the GP workforce. Work is ongoing in this regard, to increase the number of GPs practicing across the country and thereby improve access to GP services for all patients.
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, amongst other things, increased GP capitation fees, increased and new supports for practices, as well as new fees for additional services. Specific supports are available for eligible practices in rural areas, these were increased by 10% under the 2019 Agreement, and for eligible practices in areas of urban social deprivation.
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 since 2024. The number of new entrant training places is to increase again this year by 50 places to 400. As a result, the number of GP graduates has increased in recent years and will continue to increase. Furthermore, recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme, with the placement of IMG GPs targeted to rural and underserved areas.
Finally, to note that a Strategic Review of General Practice is currently underway. The review is examining the issues effecting general practice, including issues related to GP capacity, and will consider possible mechanisms to attract GPs to rural and underserved areas. When completed the review will set out recommended actions for a more sustainable general practice.
