Pringle supports call for more GPs as he details shortfalls in rural healthcare

By Thomas Pringle
Updated: 21st February 2024

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has welcomed the new Ballyshannon Community Hospital, though said “there is still a long way to go” to address the lack of services in Donegal, as he supported a motion calling on Government to support an increase in GPs.

Addressing the Dáil today, Deputy Pringle said: “I would like to start by welcoming the opening of the new Ballyshannon Community Hospital yesterday. This is great news for the people of South Donegal, who have suffered from a lack of healthcare services for many years now, and so a new hospital equipped to provide professional services for older people in South Donegal, North Sligo and North Leitrim is certainly welcome and well overdue. Unfortunately, however, there is still a long way to go in addressing the lack of services in Donegal.

“Hospitals like Killybegs Community Hospital have the potential to provide well-needed community healthcare to rural communities if they were given the necessary funding to do so.

“Unfortunately, the services in community hospitals like Killybegs are suffering due to a lack of staff and funding. I was contacted by constituents recently who were unable to receive any physiotherapy because the only physiotherapist available was off on annual leave. It should never be the case that an entire hospital is relying on one physio and when someone goes on a deserved holiday that the whole system collapses. This is completely unacceptable and puts immense stress on our community healthcare workers,” he said.

The deputy was speaking in support of the Rural Independent Motion re Healthcare Provision in Rural Communities.

Deputy Pringle said: “What is also important is that community health care services will divert people from the hospital service and the ongoing crisis we have there will be eased.

“We also cannot underestimate the importance of our community paramedics, who provide a vital service to communities across Ireland. I have previously raised the lack of support and appropriate training and I urge the government to take this issue seriously as our paramedics do an important job of bridging the gap between our community services and hospital services.”

He said: “I support this motion’s call for the government to increase the number of GPs through sustained Government funding and a long-term GP workforce strategy. It has become clear in recent years that Ireland does not have enough GPs to meet patient numbers, especially in rural Ireland. This is not a new issue. This has been the case for some time now and the government’s lack of action is not acceptable.

“I highlighted an incident that happened in a Garda station in Donegal recently. The guards were forced to hold a man with severe mental health issues for 12 hours because there were no GPs available to assess him. This was not only unfair to the man being held, but also to the gardaí, who were unable to do anything else while this man was in their care.

“This is just one example of many of how difficult it can be to access a GP in rural Ireland,” he said.

Deputy Pringle said: “The lack of healthcare accessibility in rural Ireland is a crisis and is leading to many delayed diagnoses and treatments. This cannot go on any longer. I support the calls in this motion and sincerely hope that the government starts to address the severe issues in rural healthcare, because it will contribute to addressing the issues that exist in our hospitals.”