General Practitioner Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City

I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming the group from Piercestown National School. It is great to see so many young budding politicians seeing the Seanad in operation.
I again thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important matter. As stated earlier, I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The Government acknowledges there are existing pressures in general practice. The recent ESRI report on GP capacity shows that our ageing and growing population, which Senator Boyhan has referenced, along with the shift to provide greater care in community-based settings, will increase demand for general practice services in the coming years in all areas, with more GPs and general practice nurses required to meet this additional demand.
The report identifies the need for between 943 and 1,211 additional GPs and between 761 and 868 GP nurses by 2040. The number of new GP training places is to increase to 400 this year. We have nearly double the number of new entrant places available since 2020. In addition, trained GPs continue to be recruited from abroad and other international medical graduates and placed in practices in rural and underserved areas, providing an immediate increase in service provision for those areas where more GPs are most needed. When completed, the report and strategic review of general practice, as set out by the Minister, will provide for a more sustainable GP service into the future. The points the Senator has raised will be brought to the attention of the Minister for Health and the Department.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14