Dublin People - Doctor warns of GP crisis

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Doctor warns of GP crisis

Thursday, 13 March 2008

A PROMINENT Northside doctor has warned that there will be a massive crisis in GP services for the area unless the Health Service Executive (HSE) dramatically increases the number of annual training places.
Dr John McGuinness, who runs a surgery in Artane, revealed that GPs on the Northside are already at full stretch and that North Dublin is the most under-doctored area in the country.
Northside People reported in January how the retirement of a GP in Howth had left many elderly people in the area with no local doctor.
However, Dr McGuinness, who has been a GP in Coolock/Artane since 1983, said this was only the tip of the iceberg and predicted there will be areas in North Dublin that will eventually be left with no GP facilities.
He claimed a report in the February issue of Forum, the journal of Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) –seen by Northside People – revealed that the HSE has decided not to fund an increase in the annual GP training places from 121 to 150 and will have disastrous consequences.
However, the HSE stated it is committed to the development and enlargement of GP vocational training programmes.
The HSE said it has made considerable progress since 2004 in reaching the objective of increasing the number of national training places to 150.

“By mid 2008 it is expected that in excess of 40 of these additional places will have been established,” a spokesman for the HSE told Northside People.
Meanwhile, Dr McGuinness has also criticised the HSE’s proposed embargo on GPs trained abroad, which could come into effect later this year. He said this would only exacerbate the problem.
Speaking to Northside People, Dr McGuinness revealed how the two GPs at his surgery already cater for three times the number of patients than the national average.
“In North Dublin, there is one doctor to every 2,500 patients compared to the national average of one to 1,600, but we actually deal with 3,800 patients each,” Dr McGuinness said.
“On top of all this, 26 vacant GP positions that the HSE have recently advertised have only received three applicants, so it is obvious there is a massive scarcity.
“North Dublin is worst affected by this and the situation in Howth will be repeated in other areas in the coming years.”
Dr McGuinness said he couldn’t understand why the HSE has also proposed to block admission to any further GPs trained abroad.
“I received my training in the UK as many others like me did because there has never been enough training places available in Ireland,” he stated.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that I could train abroad, there is every chance that I would not have been able to become a GP.”
Dr McGuinness said that while the proposed increase in training places to 150 would have helped, he believed there was an annual need of up to 550 places.
“When you consider the changes in our society and the increase in population, it is not too much to suggest that we really do need that many,” Dr McGuinness declared.
“You also have to remember that many doctors drop out or move abroad before they have finished their training, so the actual number who go on to be GPs is much less than is admitted to the training places.”
Dr McGuinness warned that the low number of GPs would also add to the crisis at A&E departments.
“The first port of call for most people who have a problem is their GP,” he added.
“But if there was no longer a GP surgery available then you can imagine the chaos this will bring to A&E departments which are already bursting at the seams.”
A spokesman for the HSE said it has increased allowances and rates payable to GP training schemes, so that they can increase the number of places they have available.
“The HSE is committed to the development of GP vocational training programmes, and in this regard is committed to accomplishing the enlarged capacity of the various GP training programmes,” the spokesman stated.

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