Martin Daly Questions Shingles Vaccine Rollout and GP Training

Just a simple factual question for you, Minister. The Herpes Zoster, or the shingles vaccine, is there any plans to introduce that? There's been significant research done based on the Welch study in 2013, where the vaccine was offered free to all people over 79 years of age, and a retrospective study was done, it was seen as a natural experiment, and it showed a considerable reduction in the onset of dementia by up to 25%. So in addition to the rationale to giving someone a zoster or a vaccine for the prevention of pain and the condition itself, which can be truly difficult for older people, especially chronic pain, there's now this additional piece of evidence that would suggest that the cost-benefit sort of analysis has changed. It's being considered the cost-benefits may have changed. That depends on the price that is being offered. As you're aware, the price is very, very important. There is more evidence emerging in relation to it. This is one, for example, I did hear an ad on RT1 in relation to the shingles vaccine and the benefits of it, which I believe was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, much to my amazement and surprise, and I thought that was a new departure in Irish healthcare. We will take all vaccinations with the best, best information that we can and with the best cost-benefit analysis, and we will also, which I think is our responsibility, and I think you should criticise us otherwise, get the best price for the state in every situation so that we can spend more money on more things. I agree with you. No, I have no argument. Look, the direct patient advertising has come from the United States, from the pharmaceutical industry, and I recognise that fully. But there are jurisdictions that are introducing it, and we should consider it infected. We will consider it on its merits. Exactly. On its merits. On its merits and nothing else. 100%. And with the Childhood Vaccination Scheme, vaccinating children for varicella, you would hope that the zoster will be time-limited over a period of 50 years, but that's a long time for people to suffer from it. Just a final question, and I'm not criticising that. I understand the cost-benefit issue. In relation to GP training, are we training enough, and have we done any audit on whether the additional numbers in the training schemes are producing GPs on the ground? And is there an audit? Now, if you don't have the numbers for that here now, I'd be quite happy to get it afterwards. GP training places have increased by 80% since 2019, and we've had 348 new entrants since 2025 places. Training places will increase to 400 this year. I think of also huge significance is the very different approach taken by the Medical Council last summer to improve their registration and their re-registration processes, which resulted in an additional 1,800 doctors being added to the list, to the registration list. That was very, very important. But again, we've set that against how quickly our population is growing and where we're trying to deliver services. You are aware that we have a specific training course in, I think it's in University College Galway, specifically for rural GP services, and it is one of our biggest challenges right across the Midwest, in particular, access to GP services, particularly out-of-hours GP services. Of course, we're trying to increase access to healthcare generally, and that is one of the very strong reasons for the Common Condition Service being introduced into pharmacists. So now people can go to a pharmacist and get a diagnosis for a basic issue, and that is also a contribution to accessing more GP appointments for other things. Thank you. No, thank you. Next, I'll take a comment.