I want to raise the issue of GP shortages in County Laois. The population of Laois has risen sharply over the past decade but primary care services have not kept pace. I acknowledge the tremendous work of local GPs. They are the backbone of community healthcare. However, the reality is the HSE can assign a GP to a medical card and GP visit card holder, but there are no GPs in the Portlaoise area with capacity and private patients are being left without access to a full-time GP. This is not sustainable for a growing county like Laois. What supports are being put in place to ensure that newly qualified GPs can establish in general practice, especially in counties in which need is acute? The Taoiseach knows that we in County Laois have a quota of houses to build over the next seven years, and rightly so. In Portlaoise alone, that number is 5,000 houses. I ask the Taoiseach to come up with some plan.

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