The Medical Council, the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland, have provided the information requested by the Deputy.
The data, below, is taken from the Medical Council’s register of medical practitioners, which is a “living” database. Each working day doctors are entered on, removed from, or transferred between the Divisions of the register.
The figures reported do not reflect the total number of doctors that may be working in general practice; as there may be doctors from other divisions (including the General Division of the register) that may be working within general practice.
Table 1 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) that retained their place on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022. Doctors retaining their place on the register includes those who may not be clinically active and practicing in Ireland.
Table 1. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 (Doctors retaining their name on the register with the Specialist Division for general practice)
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
Total
|
3801
|
3894
|
3893
|
4028
|
4082
|
Table 2 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022, by year. These are GPs who are/were clinically active and practicing in Ireland (it does not include the cohort of doctors who have retained but are not clinically active/practicing).
Table 2. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 (Self-reported being clinically active)
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
Total
|
3438
|
3783
|
3717
|
3833
|
3926
|
Table 3 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022, by year and by County. These are GPs who are/were clinically active and practicing in Ireland.
Table 3. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 by County (Self-reported being clinically active and self-reported County of practice)
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
Carlow
|
42
|
46
|
44
|
38
|
41
|
Cavan
|
46
|
43
|
50
|
48
|
50
|
Clare
|
63
|
68
|
76
|
72
|
76
|
Cork
|
436
|
456
|
473
|
485
|
509
|
Donegal
|
132
|
139
|
134
|
136
|
148
|
Dublin
|
1052
|
1108
|
1146
|
1169
|
1171
|
Galway
|
239
|
256
|
271
|
274
|
280
|
Kerry
|
107
|
115
|
112
|
112
|
116
|
Kildare
|
119
|
124
|
142
|
138
|
146
|
Kilkenny
|
55
|
57
|
60
|
66
|
57
|
Laois
|
50
|
52
|
52
|
53
|
55
|
Leitrim
|
12
|
14
|
20
|
18
|
22
|
Limerick
|
163
|
171
|
168
|
186
|
186
|
Longford
|
24
|
22
|
24
|
26
|
26
|
Louth
|
88
|
90
|
91
|
96
|
95
|
Mayo
|
87
|
88
|
89
|
89
|
93
|
Meath
|
97
|
101
|
90
|
100
|
105
|
Monaghan
|
32
|
28
|
28
|
31
|
27
|
Offaly
|
45
|
47
|
40
|
42
|
50
|
Roscommon
|
45
|
46
|
45
|
47
|
50
|
Sligo
|
58
|
61
|
63
|
65
|
65
|
Tipperary
|
101
|
101
|
100
|
104
|
108
|
Waterford
|
105
|
104
|
103
|
110
|
102
|
Westmeath
|
63
|
68
|
66
|
67
|
78
|
Wexford
|
177
|
88
|
96
|
96
|
112
|
Wicklow
|
- *
|
97
|
96
|
104
|
114
|
Unreported **
|
- *
|
193
|
38
|
61
|
44
|
Total
|
3438
|
3783
|
3717
|
3833
|
3926
|
* Data is absent for this year, however subsequent years data is recorded.
** Indicates where a Dr has not self-reported their County of practice.