Vol. 440 No. 4
342 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health the reason there are only ten dermatologists practising in Ireland in view of the fact that so many young qualified doctors have to go abroad to work; and the plans, if any, he has to rectify this situation.
Comhairle na nOspidéal has statutory responsibility for determining the number and type of consultant appointments in Ireland. A Collaborative Study Group representative of the Comhairle, the Postgraduate Medical and Dental Board and my Department has produced a discussion document on medical man-power in acute hospitals. This document contains, inter alia, proposals for increasing the number of consultants in all specialties.
The group are now examining the large number of responses which have been received in response to the document and I propose to await the outcome of the group's deliberations before deciding on any particular course of action.
