The Health Service Executive (HSE) has said that up to 100 patients a day are being served by the new urgent out-of-hours GP service in north Dublin.
The service, known as D-DOC, which has been in operation since late last year, is aimed in part in reducing the number of people attending hospital accident and emergency departments.
The D-DOC service was officially launched yesterday by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the Ballymun Civic Centre. Mr Ahern said that out-of-hours services were a key element in the provision of a truly comprehensive health service.
"In the absence of these urgent out-of-hours service, people will either suffer on until morning or decide to attend their local A&E department for treatment.
"While that is always an option, estimates suggest that up to 95 per cent of people's health and social service needs can be properly met within a primary care setting," Mr Ahern said.
"When more urgent cases arrive into A&E, people with minor problems must wait to be seen. Thankfully, D-DOC is now able to offer people a massive improvement in their choices for care outside of normal hours."
The Taoiseach added that the service provided "a welcome alternative to long trips to an acute hospital".
Chief executive of the HSE Prof Brendan Drumm said that "for too long our community health services have suffered from an over-emphasis on hospitals as the cure for everything and everybody. The HSE is setting out to address that imbalance and new services such as this are practical examples of our commitment".
The service operates from 6pm-8am on weekdays and on a 24-hour basis on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. Anyone who needs to see a GP urgently, outside surgery hours, can contact D-DOC at 1850-224477. They can receive advice on the phone from a nurse or be seen by a doctor at one of five centres, at Hartstown, Swords, North Strand, Ballymun and Coolock. The service can also arrange home visits, if necessary.
The HSE claimed that since the service began late last year, nearly 8,000 people had called it.
