Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 May 1998

Vol. 490 No. 5

Written Answers. - Women Doctors.

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

195 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the huge loss of women doctors from the hospital system, that is, 61 per cent of medical school graduates and interns are women but only 17 per cent at consultant level; and the action he believes necessary to address this situation. [10632/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The latest consultant manpower survey carried out by Comhairle na nOspidéal indicates that there was a total of 220 women filling permanent consultant posts in the public health services at 1 January 1998. This represents 18.47 per cent of the overall total number of permanent consultant posts in the public health services.

Given that 12.9 per cent or 133 permanent consultant posts were held by women in 1990 some progress has been made in this regard. The number of women in non-consultant hospital doctor posts has also increased over the period 1994-1996. For example, in 1994 some 42 per cent of registrars in the public health system were women while 49 per cent of these posts were held by women in 1996.

While progress has been made in ensuring that a more equitable male-female ratio obtains in overall non-consultant hospital doctor and hospital consultant appointments it is apparent that more progress needs to be made if the goal of equality of opportunity is to be met.

The role of my Department in securing such progress is in maintaining adherence to equal opportunities legislation in relation to recruitment and selection procedures and in encouraging the professional bodies and employers to ensure that any perceived obstacles to progress are removed. My Department has emphasised to health service employers, most recently through the issuing of a Model Equal Opportunities Policy for the Health Service in September 1997, of the need to ensure that discrimination which impedes achievement of full equality of opportunity will not be tolerated.