Vol. 485 No. 3
206 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide details of the number of general practitioners in this country; the way in which our ratio of general practitioners to population compares with other EU countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23412/97]
According to the survey conducted in 1996 by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), there are 2,427 general practitioners in the Republic of Ireland. This gives a ratio of GPs to population of 1:1,492.
As there are differences in the way medical manpower is categorised across EU member states, further analysis is required to enable a direct comparison to be made on GP/population ratios across Europe. When this analysis is complete, I will communicate further with the Deputy.
