Hundreds of GPs protested outside Leinster House on Wednesday afternoon with placards stating “this Government is killing general practice” and holding stethoscopes in the air. Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, NAGP president, said there were 26 communities across the country currently without a GP and this would “escalate dramatically”. “It’s certainly worse in rural Ireland and when GPs in rural Ireland are retiring, they’re not getting replaced. “I would think general practice is beyond breaking point, most of my colleagues in general practice in rural Ireland are working 10-, 12-, 14-hour days, five or six days a week and it’s unsustainable. It’s just getting harder and harder to provide the services we want for the patients.”

Source: The Irish Times February 06, 2019 21:11 UTC