Limerick GPs ‘not putting patients first’

JUNIOR Health Minister Tim O’Malley yesterday accused GPs in Limerick city of not putting their patients first.

Mr O’Malley said the refusal of the doctors in the city to enter the Shannondoc scheme was causing problems for their patients in getting out-of-hours access to a GP. Shannondoc is a rotation scheme which consists of more than 100 family doctors in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. With the help of State funding, it provides full night and weekend cover.

Minister O’Malley said: “The doctors in Limerick city have come up with an ad hoc arrangement whereby you could have one doctor filling in for ten others in the city. One doctor cannot provide the necessary cover for that number of practitioners.