Ireland: Many trainee GPs want to emigrate

Up to one-third of trainee GPs in Ireland are ready to quit the country when they are fully qualified, according to a recent survey.

The survey, which quizzed third and fourth year trainees, showed that one-third of the 33 respondents said they intended to emigrate within 12 months of finishing their training.

In recent years, the number of GPs heading to pastures new for work has risen dramatically, largely due to income reductions back home. Respondents revealed they were worried about the future in Ireland, with 61 per cent saying they had “mixed feelings” on how general practice would be in years to come and 27 per cent admitting they were “despondent” when it came to the future of general practice. Meanwhile, 64 per cent said they thought they would work part-time after qualifying, with the main reasons being work-life balance and family commitments.

Dr. Amy Morgan, who conducted the survey, in September, described the results as “worrying” for the future GP services. She claimed Ireland’s national and regional policy-makers had to liaise with each other in order to put an effective plan in place for the future of GP services, insisting that young doctors needed to view general practice as a “meaningful and viable career option”.