North Cork community left without GP for five years means recruitment is matter of urgency says TD

Some residents of the north Cork village of Rathcormac have to drive to the city for routine medical appointments following the retirement of the local GP five years ago which has led to an over-capacity in the nearby town of Fermoy, Cork East TD Liam Quaide has said.

The Social Democrats TD has suggested that what he described as a crisis in GP provision was “another example of this government's over-reliance on private enterprise for public need”.

“Direct recruitment of GPs by the HSE is the direction we need to be travelling in, as a matter of urgency. We should not be expecting GPs to be business owners, with all the stress that this involves, as well as clinicians,” said Mr Quaide.

The TD recently raised the absence of a GP in Rathcormac in the Dáil when questioning Health Minister Jennifer Carrol McNeill.

The Health Minister said in her response that GPs were “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 a town or community,” she said.

“The Government is aware that there is limited access to GP services in certain areas and that more GPs are needed to improve the availability of GP services.

“A number of measures have been taken in recent years to increase the attractiveness of general practice in Ireland as a career and increase the number of GPs practicing here.” 

The Cork East TD said that he was disappointed with the Minister’s response.

It was recently brought to light that up to 18 GPs are expected to retire in Cork and Kerry over the next five years. 

This was disclosed by HSE South West in a response to a query from The Echo and followed the publication of an ESRI report in which it was predicted that up to 700 GPs would be retiring across the country.