There have been calls for urgent action to get more doctors into general practice.
The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) said Ireland is currently experiencing a severe general medical staff shortage and workload crisis which is negatively impacting the delivery of high quality and timely care to patients, reports RTE.
Ireland’s population is aging and Sláintecare’s healthcare reform policy will require a shift towards primary healthcare.
It means Ireland will need more GPs but there is already a shortage with some positions unfilled for over a year.
GPs report finding it very difficult to obtain cover for holidays or after-hours work, while hundreds of GPs are approaching retirement age.
A new report from the ICGP and the Association of Academic Departments of General Practice in Ireland (AUDGPI) calls for funding to place medical students in general practice, reports RTE.
It says that if more students see the valuable work that primary care physicians do, more will choose it as a career.
It also requires more links between GP practices and universities with opportunities for GPs to develop academic careers.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.