Vol. 549 No. 1
39 Mr. T. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to fill the 40 non-consultant hospital doctor posts unfilled in hospitals around the country according to the Health Service Employers Agency; and when he expects them to be filled. [5845/02]
174 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the degree to which sufficient hospital doctors are available to meet requirements; his proposals for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6109/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 174 together.
The current level of vacancies for non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, in the public hospital service is small in comparison to the overall complement of posts. However, every effort will continue to be made to increase post occupancy levels to the maximum. In addition to the efforts to fill posts being made at local level, a national medical recruitment and retention monitoring group has been established, which, as one of its tasks, will keep the situation pertaining to NCHD vacancies under review.
My Department has been involved in a number of initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention of NCHDs in the public health service over the last number of years. The Department, the Health Service Employers Agency and the Irish Medical Organisation negotiated a substantial agreement for improved terms and conditions for NCHDs. Legislation was passed which amended the Medical Practitioners Act to allow for the temporary registration of doctors to be extended from five to seven years.
A recruitment drive in India and Pakistan involving this Department, the faculty of anaesthetists, the Medical Council and the health boards took place to encourage doctors in those countries to come to Ireland for practical training. Over 50 doctors, specialising in anaesthesia, have taken up posts in Ireland as a result of this initiative. Recently, my Department, in association with the health boards and FÁS has undertaken an initiative to encourage Austrian non-consultant hospital doctors to take up posts in Ireland. The potential for further international medical recruitment initiatives is being reviewed on an ongoing basis.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government approved the establishment of a national task force on hospital medical staffing to, inter alia, prepare and oversee the execution of a detailed implementation programme based on the recommendations of the report of the Medical Manpower Forum and the report of the national joint steering group on the working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors. The recommendations which will be made by the task force will have implications for the number of doctors, both consultants and NCHDs, required in the public hospital service. The inaugural meeting of this task force will take place tomorrow.
