ICGPs: Kerry falls far short of having enough GPs

Kerry is falling far short of having the recommended number of GPs for the population.

That's according to research collated by the Irish College of GPs (ICGP) which compared population growth to the number of general practice doctors in the county.

The World Health Organisation recommends having 100 GPs per 100,000 people.

In Kerry, this figure stands at 88.

Nationally, the population increased 3.1%m while the number of GPs has risen by just 0.6%.

The ICGP's figures also show that just two counties meet the WHO recommended ratio: Galway and Waterford.

Source: The Irish college of GPs

The body says urban areas are attracting more GPs, leading to shortages in rural areas, and that the GP workforce is not expanding fast enough to meet growing demand.

Medical Director of the ICGPs, Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, says strong incentives are needed to attract GPs to less urbanised counties like Kerry:

The ICGPs says strong incentives are needed to attract GPs to less urbanised counties like Kerry.

Source: Irish College of GPs