DOCTORS have warned patients’ lives will be at risk because of a plan by the Health Service Executive to slash funding to an out of hours GP service in the north east.

ONLY two of the countries nine GP co-operatives require Garda clearance for locums staffing their out-of- hours service, and seven areas of the country are without any out-of-hours service.

For the first time people living in a border area of the North will be able to access urgent GP out-of-hours services in the Republic, it emerged today.