Extra pressure is being placed on an out-of-hours doctor service in Cork and Kerry due to the requirement for South African doctors involved in the service to self-isolate for 14 days.
South Doc is overwhelmingly dependent on foreign doctors to operate home visits and clinics outside of normal working hours.
The Medical Director of South Doc, Dr Gary Stack, said the isolation period is an extra cost and there are fears the isolation without pay will prove a disincentive for South African GPs to take up offers to work there.
Up to ten South African doctors - more than half the total of the night shift GPs - typically operate the 24-hour weekend and night system across Cork and Kerry.
There is huge dependence on South African doctors because the GP system in South Africa, along with Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the UK is compatible with the Irish system.
Dr Stack said in recent years only South African doctors have been interested in working in the area and arrive for months at a time throughout the year.
The risk of infection from the new variant discovered in South Africa was not a concern as those arriving were self-isolating.
However, those arriving are not being financially supported by the Health Service Executive during quarantine.
Dr Stack said the cost of hiring "red eye'' doctors is covered by local GPs and the cooperative was looking at contributing support during the two-week quarantine period.
He said the 14-day quarantine "is an extra disincentive, an extra cost".
Meanwhile, GPs in Kerry received the first round of their inoculation against Covid-19 at University Hospital Kerry this morning.
Around 100 GPs in Kerry have been inoculated so far, it is understood.
