“At least 50% more General Practitioners are needed to meet current levels of demand” – GPs say they are facing ‘workforce and workload crisis’
“At least 50% more General Practitioners are needed to meet current levels of demand” – GPs say they are facing ‘workforce and workload crisis’
13 comments
Can we stop using the word crisis, feel it’s been abused in the past decade. My suggestion, new word attached to FF/FG, a **Fine Fáil**ure if you will, open to better suggestions
60% of the population pay nothing into the system (unlike Scandinavia), so you’ll only get 50% of the output….
One way to address this crisis is to charge a nominal minimum sum for going to the GP such as five euros or ten euros. This will reduce frivolous unnecessary GP appointments which clog up practices.
Surely we cannot fix that overnight. Let’s price their services at 1000€ per visit so them the GPs can buy a house in Ireland.
Because not sure how are you getting more GPs without place to live.
Anyway, give it two decades I suppose.
I haven’t had a GP in about 8 years. Since they retired. I have been unable to get one since and have to use walk in clinics. None near me accept new patients and its infuriating.
Theres a shortage of GPs and a large increase in agro from people who dont get diagnosed with what they want to be diagnosed with.
Most of the GP’s in my area are on 3 day weeks. No exaggeration. That doesn’t help the supply issue
I rang DDoc the other day for a family member. I was told to ring an ambulance. I laughed out loud when I was told that. Madness. If I wanted an ambulance I’d have range one but this was not something you’d call an ambulance for. I guess the whole system really is failing people if one service is abusing another just because they don’t have an appointment. No wonder hospitals are so busy dealing with the fallout from GPs.
I’m amazed by how casual irish people are about not being able to get a doctor. It’s normal accepted for surgeries to simply say “sorry we’re not taking new patients?” My parents thought I was joking when I told them that I flying home for a doctors appointment!
Why aren’t irish people protesting about access to healthcare here?
It’s not just seeing a doctor, it take TWO HOURS! for an ambulance to arrive here in Killarney when the nearest hospital is only half an hour away? I’ve friends that’ve been driven to the hospital because it’s so bad.
One of them was told they’d be charged €50 for a consultation when they needed help after the surgery casually said they’ll ring back??? WTF?
He was already halfway to the hospital because he thought he had pendicitus and couldn’t wait 45mins just for them to ring back?
It is odd that you can get better healthcare in “developing” countries. Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world and constantly scores high in all of the usual indexes but I don’t think that they reflect reality. We can all see these problems right in front of us and we are all experiencing this issue which is a really fundamental one.
Do away with them and put in clinics. GPs are an antiquated concept that needs overhaul. Having to go through a GP for everything is higly inefficient and often damaging.
Currently in the waiting room at my GP hearing the receptionist give the people who ring appointments for 1 June…it’s 40 minutes after my appointment time also, so this is a fun way to spend my time. I don’t know what the solution is but it’s insanity!
The only thing Ireland is in surplus of at the minute is barbers, PTs and DJs