Farmers and other rural workers are being 'hit the hardest' as a result of staff shortages in the Northern Irish healthcare system, the government has been warned.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has raised its concerns about the 'unstainable state' of the NHS within the province.
The union said farmers were 'increasingly distressed' about its current state, with fears growing over more local services being transferred to other locations.
Figures show that a third of all workplace deaths in Northern Ireland were in agriculture in the years 2021 to 2022.
The UFU said a particular concern among those in the farming industry was the "high risk of total destabilisation in general practice that has been alluded to by those working in the field.”
In the past year, 14 GP practices in NI, mostly in rural areas, have returned their contracts to the Department of Health.
And according to the UFU, 30 more practices were on the ‘brink’ of doing the same.
Speaking about the issue, the union's deputy president, William Irvine said the waiting lists in Northern Ireland were 'diabolical' compared to the rest of the UK.
He also called for the Department of Health to 'step up' and do more to protect their staff as well as rural patients.
“On the behalf of rural people in NI, and with no political avenue to express our concerns, we’re backing calls to prioritise and incentivise rural recruitment and retention," he said.
"We have fantastic healthcare facilities and rural locations for family living, which coupled together, have the potential to offer a great way of life for healthcare professionals.
"Work life balance and professional support is critically important and the opportunity is there for healthcare providers and rural communities to collaborate and attract staff to work in rural areas.
"This mimics successful approaches in other countries and UFU are already supporting initiatives to encourage this."
