asked the Minister for Health if he will state the conditions under which World Health Organisation grants or scholarships are given to medical practitioners for study abroad and how many grants have been made to (a) whole-time medical officers in the employment of local authorities or State Departments and (b) doctors attached to voluntary hospitals or medical schools.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - World Health Organisation Grants and Scholarships.
Facilities for the education and training of health personnel are provided to member States by the World Health Organisation by means of fellowships (a) for individual study and (b) for group training schemes and seminars. Member States, when proposing candidates for fellowships for individual study, must give an assurance to the organisation that the training requested is necessary for their national health programme and that, when the Fellows they have sponsored return home, they will be appointed to posts in the national health administration or in technical institutions approved by it, in which they will be able to put to good use the knowledge and experience acquired during their fellowship.
Candidates must fulfil the following conditions:—
(1) they must have not less than two years' experience in the subject they wish to study;
(2) they must have exhausted the opportunities available in their own country for a study of that subject;
(3) the subjects proposed for study must be directly connected with the country's health programme, preference being given to applicants for training which is necessary for carrying out a specific project;
(4) they must undertake, in writing, to continue in, or enter the service of, their national health administration—or a technical institution approved by it—for at least the first three years after their fellowship;
(5) normally, they should not be over 55 years of age, where the retiring age is 60 or above, nor over 50 where the retiring age is below 60;
(6) they must be able to speak, read, and write the language of the country in which they propose to study.
Eligibility for participation in group training schemes and seminars is dependent on the subjects to be covered, the majority of which have been concerned with particular aspects of public health administration.
The funds available to the organisation for education and training are governed by the amount of the annual programme and budget and the amount allocated to an individual member State is correspondingly limited.
The information requested by the Deputy in the second part of his question is as follows:—
(a) Seventeen, including a fellowship granted to a local authority medical officer by virute of his membership of a medical school. (b) five.