SDLP Health and Mental Wellbeing Spokesperson Mark H Durkan MLA welcomed the announcement of £3.9 million of new investment for GP services in the North of Ireland.
He said: “The announcement of extra funding for GP Services here is most welcome and long overdue.
“This funding is an acknowledgement of the pressures our GP’s and their surgeries are under.
“While I accept that this funding will allow for essential services to be provided, it really is only a sticking plaster.
“As I’ve been saying now for almost a year, what we need is health transformation.
“Our GPs, hospital doctors and nurses are under constant strain trying to meet demand.
“All the while – patients are waiting for longer for treatment. The situation is not sustainable nor is it acceptable.
“Earlier this month, I wrote to the Permanent Secretary requesting that more is done to maximise the impact GPs can have on our communities and that means implementing the recommendations from the GP-led group.
“This must be a priority and must be actioned.
“The SDLP continues to press for all parties to agree on a health implementation plan that will deliver health service transformation.
“Only with radical change can we deliver a health service fit for purpose that protects patient safety, the delivery of health quality care and our front line health care workers,” added the Foyle MLA.
