I thank Deputy Rice for the dedication and vision he has brought to this most important issue. There is a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing effective doctor care within our system. To give context, the national benchmark is one GP per 1,759 people. In my constituency of Dublin Central, it is dramatically higher. In the north inner city, for example, it is one GP for every 3,525 people. In Cabra-Glasnevin, it is one GP for every 3,060 people. In my constituency, particularly in the north inner city part of it, there are a plethora of issues we often discuss, no different to many other constituencies. There is poverty, deprivation and inequality. When looking at the GP-to-person ratio, it cannot be denied that a structural inequity is also built in. I have visited the GP Care for All practice in Summerhill many times over the years. When people visit the practice, which was founded by Dr. Austin O’Carroll, they will find communities of people who have grown up and spent their whole life in the inner city. They will find the Roma community and people who have come from other parts of the world. There is a diverse community there, all with a particular need that is clearly under-served. In the north inner city, we have known for years that people develop chronic illness earlier, sometimes more than a decade earlier compared to more affluent parts of the city. This includes earlier cases of heart disease, respiratory illness and diabetes, as well as a lower life expectancy. This is not about genetics; it is about systemic inequality. What did the State do in response? It tried to close down the GP Care for All system in Summerhill. The residents, who have all the issues we have laid out before, and the doctors had to take placards and signs and stand outside their practice and had to come to Dáil Éireann, just to have the basic necessity of a GP care service maintained and not have the added anxiety they may lose it. We are asking them to firefight deprivation without the tools and now we are asking them to firefight health inequality. This is why the Social Democrats are calling for a DEIS for GP scheme, deprivation-weighted capitation rates and a cap on list sizes, so doctors in areas like Dublin Central are resourced for the reality they are working in. Our current funding model recognises age but it does not recognise deprivation. Capitation increases at the age of 70. In the north inner city, however, many patients present with the health profile of a 70-year-old at the age of 50 but the system is not funded in that way. Equality is giving everyone the same. Equity is recognising that some communities start further back. The north Dublin GP training programme started in 2011 with Dr. Austin O'Carroll and it is a model that works. Deputy Rice has given 20 points on what could improve our GP care system across the country. We hope the Minister of State will take it on.

Sentiment score: 0.11