Many parts of the country could be left without a GP, new research has found, with single doctor practices in West Donegal deemed among those areas to be at risk.
Department of Health data also looks at areas where the number of GPs has not expanded to meet demographic pressures.
The paper on GP supply and demand published today by the Department of Health, pinpoints areas with the highest proportion of GPs “at risk of retirement with no viable replacement”.
Practices with a single GP make up half of services deemed to be “at risk”.
Single-GP practices are more concentrated in west Galway, Mayo, west Donegal and areas around Clare, east Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Leitrim.
While the analysis also warns of capacity constraints in areas of growing population in Dublin and its commuter towns in Cavan, Meath, Kildare, Louth, Westmeath and Wicklow.
