Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
166 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the way in which the ration of various hospital consultants per 1,000 of the population in this country compares with the UK and France; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26614/04]
View answerAs of 1 January 2004, there were 0.45 public consultant posts in Ireland per 1,000 population. This compares to 0.65 public posts per 1,000 population in France. The equivalent grade in France is a specialist and 0.49 public posts per 1,000 population in England. Comparable figures for the entire United Kingdom are not currently available.
The report of the national task force on medical staffing, the Hanly report, recommended that the number of consultant posts here be increased by approximately 1,800 posts in order to improve patient care and ensure better patient access to 24-hour services.
