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Doctors are to be told in coming days how many additional Covid-19 vaccine doses they will be allocated for the week beginning April 12th.
The move by the HSE, based on an increased supply forecast, is an attempt to provide certainty for GPs in terms of how many people they can vaccinate in the week ahead.
It comes amid mounting frustration with the rollout of the vaccination programme among GPs, some of whom have said they have been abused by patients, following lower than expected allocations of the vaccine.
Some practitioners including Co Limerick GP Kieran Murphy have warned they will not participate in the next phase of the vaccine rollout because of intimidating calls from people complaining that they or their relatives did not receive the vaccine.
Dr Murphy said that his staff had taken as much as they could so they were stopping the vaccination programme at his practice.
He said he had become ill over the Easter weekend and was hospitalised.
“I got an episode, they feel that stress may have had a part to play. I didn’t physically feel stressed, but the level of stress in the past number of months has been gigantic,” he siad.
Dr Murphy paid tribute to the HSE saying it “has done an incredible job in the circumstances, things that would have taken years to put in place before the pandemic have been put in place in a week.”
The problem was the shortage of supply, he said.
In a response issued to The Irish Times the HSE said “regrettably, vaccine allocation remains limited by supply. This is due to higher numbers in the age group [currently being vaccinated] and limited volumes available for allocation”.
But it said based on supply forecasts, “we expect to be able to increase the dose 1 allocation to GPs from the week beginning April 12th.
The HSE said GPs have each been provided with a relationship manager, as well as a dedicated email and phone number to assist with any concerns or issues with orders.
The HSE said it expects to be in a position to advise on the increased numbers of vaccines for the week commencing April 12th “in the coming days”.
While it said rollout was dependent on supply it said “it is important to emphasise this point so that neither patients or GPs become unnecessarily concerned”.
“We are working closely with GP representatives and the IMO in communicating these delivery schedules with GPs” the authority said.
The HSE also acknowledged “the vital role more than 3,000 GPs from over 1,300 GP practices are playing in the vaccination rollout”.
Speaking to RTÉ radio’s Liveline programme from his hospital bed at University Hospital Limerick, Dr Murphy said that there were “unrealistic levels of expectations” about the vaccination programme and that the sooner the age-based scheme commenced, the better.
“There can be no quibble about a date of birth,” he said.
He said callers were claiming that his practice was showing favouritism to individuals and neglecting people who had been patients for years, he said.
The Irish College of General Practitioners referred questions to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).
The IMO has not yet responded to request for comment.