Fears of GP staff shortages in Kerry as doctors who provide vital winter cover stranded in South Africa

The majority of GPs providing locum cover in rural Kerry over the festive period are from South Africa

Wed, 01 Dec, 2021 - 20:05

Anne Lucey

Urgent discussions are taking place between an out-of-hours GP service and the Department of Justice over new restrictions which mean South African GPs who provide vital cover during the winter in Cork and Kerry cannot take up their usual locum work there.

The majority of GPs providing locum cover in rural Kerry over the festive period are from South Africa. However, new visa requirements imposed because of the Omicron variant are putting added pressure on GP services in Kerry as doctors who were due to travel here are stranded in South Africa.