Access to a doctor is a necessity and a basic right for people, especially when they are sick. However, a GP shortage in south Wicklow and north Wexford has reached crisis point. I ask the Minister to intervene. People are desperate. They are travelling more than 20 km but still cannot find a GP who will accept new patients. One practice in a small town in my constituency has a waiting list of 200 people and that list is currently closed. We have seen rapid population growth, particularly in north Wexford, the Gorey-Courtown corridor and parts of south Wicklow. I ask the Minister to consider introducing interim measures immediately to ensure people can access basic care. I had a recent case of a woman with a high-risk pregnancy. She came in desperation to my office because she could not secure a GP anywhere. This should not be happening. It is crazy. As a result, hospital accident and emergency departments are being used as a stopgap. It is unsafe, unsustainable and places even greater pressure on emergency staff, contributing to longer waiting times. Private patients currently have no mechanism for GP assignment through the HSE. Families are unable to register infants, creating risks for children's health. I have constituents in south Wicklow who are registered with one GP but must register their infant with another, in some cases, on the far side of the county or even across the county boundaries. As has been pointed out, Ireland has one of the lowest GP-to-population ratios in western Europe but Wicklow and Wexford are officially designated by the Government as pressure zones for GP practice and capacity. We are not training enough GPs to replace retiring doctors and their conditions need to improve if we want to keep graduates here in Ireland. We are losing them rapidly. For those with medical cards, the HSE may be able to arrange a GP but private patients have no such support. They must navigate an overstretched, largely private system on their own. This system has to change because lives will be lost. I ask the Minister to personally intervene.

Sentiment score: -0.11