A Clare General Practicioner is calling on the state to exhaust all efforts to attract more people into the profession.
The GP visit card for children was extended to six and seven year olds on Friday, which the government estimate will allow an additional 78,000 children to access free healthcare.
However the Irish College of General Practioners is raising concerns over a lack of capacity to facilitate additional vists, the association claim there is currently a deficit of 2,000 GPs in the country, while over 500 service providers will reach retirement age in the next three years.
Irish Medical Organisation Committee Member and Lahinch GP Michael Kelleher says while practices will make provisions for emergency cases, emphasis needs to be placed on enticing more medicine graduates into GP roles.
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