More doctors, nurses and call takers have been drafted in by SouthDoc in Kerry, to cope with what's expected to be a very busy Christmas period for the out-of-hours GP service.
The re-inforcements have been taken on, as the number of influenza cases in the county continues to climb.
Christmas is always a busy period for SouthDoc in Kerry, but with a new strain of 'flu hitting Ireland earlier than expected, this year's festive period looks to be even busier than usual.
Director of the service in Kerry, Dr Gary Stack, says 2025 has been another busy year, with around 200,000 calls answered in Kerry and Cork last year.
There's been a rise in the number of older people using the service over the past four years, and a slight drop in the number of Under 6s.
SouthDoc's Christmas period kicks off at 1pm on Christmas Eve, with doctors available throughout Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Dr Stack predicted that they'll receive in the region of 10,000 calls over this period - he says new measures have been put in place to make the service run more smoothly.
Anyone with chest pains or stroke symptoms is advised to go directly to University Hospital Kerry's emergency department.
