Cahill calls for increased GP out-of-hours services

Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary Jackie Cahill has called on the Health Minister to allocate additional resources to out of hours GP services for the county.

He made the call after new figures released to him revealed that the Shannondoc service, which covers the whole of the north Tipperary, has just one GP on duty between 10pm. and 8am. South Tipperary has only one GP on duty between 11pm and 8am. Caredoc, which takes in South Tipperary, only has one GP on duty between 10pm. and 8am. 

Deputy Cahill said, “The out of hours GP services in Co Tipperary are completely under resourced.  Two GPs to cover a county with the geographical distances involved is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous.

“These out of hours services are essential but they need to be vastly improved.  These doctors can be called to any area at any time but because there is only one doctor covering the north and one other covering the south of the county, they are severely disadvantaged.  Patients could be forced to wait hours for a doctor to arrive because they could have been attending another call at the other end of the county.

“It also makes the situation very difficult for the doctors involved; they’re expected to travel large distances in the middle of the night, sometimes on dangerous back roads without any assistance. We need to see additional resources provided to this important service – this will improve the safety of both doctors and patients.  I raised this issue directly with the Tánaiste in the Dáil this week and I look forward to further engagement with the Health Minister on it,” concluded Deputy Cahill.