General Practitioner Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Christopher O'Sullivan (FF), Cork South-West

I thank the Deputy. The letter from the constituent clearly describes a man who is absolutely dedicated to his profession, well respected in his community and has for decades provided healthcare for the people of that community. The Deputy has explained well how restrictions, especially in terms of indemnity being provided from private insurers but also the HSE policy he referenced, can impact his wanting to provide further healthcare for the community.
I have been asked by the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to outline the current policy and I hope we can have a further discussion after that. GPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold contracts with the HSE for the provision of public health services. Currently, 3,243 GPs hold at least one contract with the HSE, including 2,608 GPs who hold a General Medical Services, GMS, contract for the provision of GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders.
As private practitioners, GPs themselves are responsible for obtaining professional indemnity insurance from private medical insurance providers. Although the HSE contributes to GMS GPs' medical indemnity costs, neither the Department of Health nor the HSE has a role in the provision of medical indemnity to GPs. In that aspect, there is very little we can do in terms of intervention. Under the GMS scheme, GPs may hold their GMS contract until 72 years of age. This was recently extended from the age of 70 in 2015. That speaks to the point the Deputy makes about the case of the GP he has outlined, who is 72. The HSE can grant an extension on a case-by-case basis, where considered necessary and appropriate, to allow a GP to continue to see their GMS patients after reaching 72 years. After the age of 72, GPs can continue to provide services other than to medical card and GP visit card holders under the GMS.
The HSE is actively involved in recruiting a replacement GP where a GMS vacancy arises. The HSE advertises GMS positions in advance of known upcoming vacancies, and every effort is then made to fill the GMS vacancy. Locum GP cover is provided in the interim for most cases, while in a small number of cases, the retiring GP is requested to remain in practice temporarily until the vacancy is filled or an alternative option is finalised. As of the beginning of April, there are only 20 GMS vacancies, with no GMS vacancies in County Cork. This equates to less than 1% of the total number of GMS panels.
The Government is committed to increasing the number of GPs working across the country, and several measures have been undertaken in recent years to increase GP capacity and improve access to services for all patients. Investment in general practice has been increased by over €340 million under the 2019 and 2023 GP GMS agreements. The agreements provide for increased fees for participating GPs, improved and additional supports for practices, and new services for patients such as the GP chronic disease management programme.
There is further text in the response but, just to summarise in terms of the Deputy's specific ask, the indemnity that a GP gets is very much between them and the indemnity provider. In the GMS contract, that age limit of 72 is clearly an issue. Certainly it is something on which I am willing to go back to the Minister for Health, give the Deputy's feedback and relay his concerns. That is the current state of affairs.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19