3 days ago
Over 900 extra GPs needed over 15 years to meet demand
At least 940 additional general practitioners will be required to meet expected demand over the next 15 years, according to research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
It says a growing, and to a lesser extent, an ageing population, is behind the reasons for the projected increase in demand for GP services of between 23% and 30% by 2040.
It is also expected that demand for general practice nurses will rise in that timeframe.
GP Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation, and GP in Kilkenny, Tadhg Crowley, has said Covid-19 interrupted medical practice and made it busier, but things are returning to what is normal.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said general practice is a "great career option" but has "not been seen in this way" in recent years.
"It's a great job. Anyone who's considering medicine, I'd always say general practice is a fabulous job to be in. We're facing challenges and ... some of the challenges are age related," he said.
Dr Crowley said the sector had a generation of GPs or prospective GPs, wiped out by the Financial Emergency Measures in Public Interests (FEMPI) cuts about 15 years ago, which put people off going into general practice.
"So we're starting recovering from that. In terms of job satisfaction, it's still a fabulous job, but I suppose we are facing challenges," he added.
He said that Ireland is facing the same problems that the UK faced about 20 years ago and "they got it wrong" and the NHS is failing at general practice level.
Dr Crowley said the Government needs to carefully handle the situation to avoid that scenario.
"We're facing the challenges that the UK faced 20 years ago, so it's going to be really important to have steady hands in the Department of Health and Government. The UK got it wrong.
"The NHS has been destroyed in general practice. And it's really important at this stage that we look at A; the number of medical doctors we trained and B: the number of GPs that we train," he said.
Dr Crowley stressed that 40% of GPs are aged over 60 and the country is at a stage in terms of the GP population "that we are facing a crisis and the number of people that will come through there".
He said as a result, the number of GP training posts has increased to 350, however it is "not going to come close to the number of GPs that we need in the long term".
He said GPs are "at a crossroads" and will have to increase the number of undergraduates trained.
"If you don't train enough GPs, what you have is, and we've seen this in other countries, these pop-up medical clinics that have employed doctors that aren't actually GPs," he added.
Dr Crowley said the long-term effect in the population is "quite poor".
He added that it is a competitive market worldwide for GPs and it is incumbent on those working in the health service to make it an attractive option for graduates.
"It is a competitive market worldwide for doctors and I suppose it's incumbent on those working within the health system here to make sure that it's an attractive area for GPs to come back to.
"And one of the areas, it's very difficult to set up and practice as a young GP and it's something that I think the Government really need to focus down on," he said.
"It's the canary in the mine in terms of general practice, the number of GP lists that are being unfilled at the moment is something that will need to be looked at."
