Safeguards must be put in place to protect the role of GPs, a major medical conference in Dublin will be told today.
The Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners will host a joint conference in Croke Park entitled:
Irish General Practice - The Capacity to Deliver.
The event will allow experts to discuss the growing pressures on GPs to continue round-the-clock service in the face of increasing workloads.
GPs at the event will use workshops to discuss and develop recommendations on issues such as manpower and the role of the GP in the changing health sector.
IMO President, Dr Martin Daly, said: "Both the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners recognise the imperative to support and promote the vital role of general practitioners and the need to put mechanisms and structures in place to support, promote and develop the speciality of general practice.
"The vast majority of Irish citizens still enjoy same-day service and a network of out-of-hours services throughout the length and breadth of the state provided by trained GPs.
"In order to maintain this level of service with an ever-increasing workload and additional expectations from patients, general practitioners need to review their management and clinical leadership role within their own practices."
Dr Mark Walsh, chairman of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said the conference will seek solutions for the challenges facing the delivery of general practice services.
The joint conference will address efforts to maintain the level of GP services, consider models of practice and discuss contracts.
PA