There is a significant shortage of General Practitioners in the country and by 2028, there will be 1,600 less GPs available for service, the Oireachtas health committee was told.
Both the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) attended the committee this morning and detailed new recruitments are compulsory in order to meet the growing demands of population.
According to a report by The Journal, speaking to the committee, Dr Val Moran, the head of GP Industrial Relations at the IMO, said that there are currently around 3,500 GPs in Ireland at present and that between 1,260 and 1,660 new GPs would need to be recruited by 2028 to meet both the needs of population growth, and the growing number of people aged over 65.
This figure becomes higher, according to the ICGP, when existing GP requirements are factored in, with the college estimating that over 2,000 will be needed.
Currently there is an average of 0.69 GPs per 1,000 population but the actual number needed is between 1.02 and 1.1 per 1,000 people. Current situation makes it hard for GPs to work in a normal environment.
In rural areas, the number of GPs per 1,000 population is even lower than the national average.
“There’s numerous studies to show that the greater number of GPs per head of population, the better the health outcomes, including lower rates of overall causes of mortality,” said Dr Val Moran.
The shortage also causes the GPs not to take sick leaves even when it’s serious.
Another issue is, one fifth of all GPs are set to retire in the coming years, which will make the sector more constrained. There will be over 700 retirements, it is estimated. The number of GPs above 60 is also increasing.
The committee was told about the issues faced by new GPs when it comes to establishing practices. Many of them can’t afford IT and medical equipment due to high cost. So, the government has to provide additional supports to new GPs including tax relief, the IMO said.