The Rural Island & Dispensing Doctors of Ireland (RIDDI) welcomes the recent Department of Health report, General Practice in Ireland: An Analysis of Supply & Demand, which highlights critical GP shortages in counties such as Mayo, Clare, Wexford, and Westmeath.
However, RIDDI strongly opposes the suggestion that these communities should rely on neighbouring practices and nurse practitioners instead of replacing retiring GPs. This approach risks worsening already strained A&E departments and increasing hospital overcrowding. The exodus of GPs from rural Ireland is a major factor in the ongoing crisis in the health service with crowded A & E departments and overflowing hospital wards. Loss of rural GPs also poses a risk to older people who want to stay in their own community rather than join the “sad silent migration” to nursing homes far away.
The report pinpoints the need for better succession planning and more incentives for GPs in the areas most under pressure. It is well flagged that young medical practitioners are no longer prepared to work the long hours required at present in rural practice, nor tolerate not being able to take statutory leave. RIDDI urges the HSE to fund a second GP in single-handed rural practices to improve recruitment, support mentoring, and reduce burnout—ensuring a better work-life balance. This investment will be cost-effective, leading to greater GP availability with open lists, fewer A&E referrals, and reduced reliance on expensive locum services. Current initiatives, such as the International Graduates Scheme, have failed in rural areas due to unsustainable funding models.
The report also overlooks key deterrents for young doctors, including the lingering impact of FEMPI cuts and the removal of distance-based payments. RIDDI calls for the full restoration of these payments to make rural practice financially viable and stem the ongoing exodus of GPs from these areas. Otherwise, young doctors will continue to remain in the cities and large towns to the detriment of the outlying areas, with inevitable further hospital overcrowding.
Start-up costs for new rural practices remain a significant barrier and must be covered by the HSE to support incoming doctors.
While the report acknowledges that workforce challenges won’t be fully resolved until 2030, RIDDI stresses the need for urgent interim measures as above—particularly as the population of older adults continues to rise. With half of those aged 85 and over already in long-term care, it is vital that older people have the option to remain in their own communities with access to local GP services. Rural GPs more than proved their worth over the decades in supporting people to stay and be cared for locally and particularly our older vulnerable population. Older people need to know that they can stay and be looked after locally in their own area. By ensuring rural doctors can remain in rural Ireland will help that become a reality.
Sustaining rural general practice is not just about healthcare—it’s about protecting the fabric of rural life.
For further information please contact Dr Jerry Cowley, Mulranny, Co Mayo. 087 2249691