GP optimistic that September will bring 'degree of normality'

A Mullingar GP, Dr Antoinette Butler, says she would be confident the majority of the country will be vaccinated by September.

“Hoping that there’s no issue with supplies or vaccines, and then hoping there’s no new variants that we didn’t expect. I would hope that there would be some degree of normality by about September/October,” she said.

Talking of her own plans, Antoinette explained:

“I’m supposed to be doing a half Ironman in Portugal in October, I think it is a bit optimistic to think I might be going,” she admitted, “but I haven’t completely ruled out the possibility yet,” she continued.

Speaking to Independent.ie, Dr Butler explained that one of the unforeseen but positive consequence of the virus is that it has made GPs feel more valued.

“We kind of felt as GPs that we weren’t really appreciated any more in the healthcare service.

"I think Covid changed all that. We became the first point of call for people, whether it was concerns about Covid or their general health in the middle of all of this lockdown. And I think it’s put us back very much centre stage.

“We were doing a lot of phone consultations and you know people so well that you knew just by speaking to them on the phone if they were alright and they didn’t need to come in, or actually they weren’t alright at all and you needed to actually see them – it seemed to give you back the value of your job, which is kind of had been hacked away at by the HSE over the last few years,” she said.

“This time two years ago I might have felt at times – I can’t stick another 10 years of this until retirement... – I’m not on that page at all now. I’m delighted, [and] thinking it’s great and looking forward to the next 10 years of general practice.”