Doctors warn of GP manpower crisis

IRELAND is facing a major shortage of GPs, a doctors’ group warned yesterday.

And the introduction of four-year GP training programmes means the problem is set to get worse.

“We are now staring into the abyss of a major manpower crisis in general practice. It’s no longer down the line as we warned years ago. It’s right here with us now,” Irish College of General Practitioners’ spokesman Dr Niall Ó Cléirigh said.