Vol. 562 No. 6
71 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of physicians per head of the population here in 2001 and 2002; the way in which this compares with the EU average in the years in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6662/03]
Figures provided by the Irish Medical Council indicate that the number of physicians per 100,000 population in Ireland in 2001 was 238.77. The number in 2002 was 250.68 per 100,000 population. These figures refer to all fully registered doctors regardless of the specialty in which they are engaged or whether they are currently practising medicine. The WHO regional office for Europe has not yet issued figures for the EU average for these years.
It should be noted that the number of physicians per head of population should only be viewed as a broad indicator of the level of medical staffing provision.
