On World Family Doctor Day (Sunday, 19 May), Irish family doctors highlight the central role and contribution of GPs to Irish healthcare.
- Every day, Irish GPs deliver 75,000 clinical consultations, manage thousands of prescriptions and vaccinate over 1,000 children.
- There are 4,370 GPs working in practice, and on average, Irish people visit their GP 4 times a year.
- Family Doctors all over the world contribute to healthier communities, and a healthier planet.
Every year, World Family Doctor Day on 19th May celebrates and highlights the contribution of family doctors to healthcare worldwide.
As the first port of call for most health issues, Family Doctors all over the world deliver personal, comprehensive and continuous healthcare to their patients, providing community-based care with their teams of doctors, practice nurses, and allied health professionals.
In Ireland, to celebrate World Family Doctor Day 2024, the Irish College of GPs has produced a graphic to illustrate the major workload, and the GP workforce that delivers care to thousands of people every day.
The Irish College of GPs data shows that –
- We have 4,370 GPs as well as 1015 GPs in training, including 350 new trainees this year alone.
- We provide 75,000 consultations every day, including 1,700 chronic disease health checks,
- Training places for GPs have increased by 67% since 2020, to meet the unprecedented demand for GPs in new communities, and to replace retiring doctors.
The Medical Director of the Irish College of GPs, Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, said “General practice is at the heart of healthcare in Ireland, and we celebrate this on World Family Doctor Day. As GPs, we manage over 1700 chronic diseases, across a huge range of patients young and old. GPs are the first port of call for so many illnesses, both mental and physical. We provide continuity of care for patients. Timely equitable patient access to high-quality, resilient General Practice requires incremental resourcing of the primary care workforce to deliver person-centred holistic care.”
On a worldwide basis, family doctors celebrate World Family Doctor Day 2024 under the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”, highlighting the link between the health of our planet and the health of our patients.
Doctors for the Environment chair, Dr Sean Owens, has written this blog post to highlight the importance of encouraging healthy lifestyles that also help the planet.
ISSUED BY:
Aileen O’Meara, Communications Consultant, Irish College of GPs. Tel. 01 2542984 / 087 2239830.
Email: media@icgp.ie
www.irishcollegeofgps.ie