Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2021
268. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake and final year graduates, graduate output, for medicine in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60921/21]
View answer269. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for the various medical fields in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing postgraduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60922/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 269 together.
Data on new entrants to and graduates from medicine courses between from 2016 to 2020 are available in the table below. The undergraduate data refers to entrants to medicine courses, including graduate entry medicine. The postgraduate data refers to clinical and scientific courses offered by the schools of medicine, many of which are undertaken by existing medical professionals seeking further training or specialisation.
The current quota for EU entrants (including Irish entrants) to medicine stands at 708, divided between undergraduate entry (468) and graduate entry (240). This quota was established as a recommendation of the Report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training, also known as the Fottrell Report. The current quotas for entry to medicine are under review as part of my Department’s ongoing engagements with the Department of Health regarding health workforce planning.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2016 |
Undergraduate |
1251 |
1290 |
|
2016 |
Postgraduate |
637 |
551 |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
1298 |
1342 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
688 |
496 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
1319 |
1327 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
660 |
536 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
1353 |
1292 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
679 |
529 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
1403 |
1319 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
995 |
539 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
