Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1576. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure a system is in place for those arriving from Mongolia to have their professional qualifications recognised, particularly in relation to doctors and other medical professionals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20177/22]
View answerThe Medical Council is the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland. In order to protect patients, it has a responsibility to ensure that all doctors registered to practise medicine in Ireland meet the requirements to practise as set out in its legislation.
Pathways for registration with the Medical Council do not differ based on a doctors nationality but rather on the country they received their primary qualifications and based on their experience and higher/specialist training. A non-EU/EEA applicant for registration must have received their primary medical qualification from a recognised medical school as identified by the World Federation for Medical Education which currently recognises eight medical schools in Mongolia.
A doctor can visit the Medical Council website and use the eligibility chart to determine which division of the medical register they are able to apply for registration with based on their qualifications and experience. This chart will also let the doctor know if they must complete any pre-registration exams.
Depending on where a doctor qualified and the type of qualifications they hold, some doctors arriving into Ireland from outside the EU may be required to take a pre-registration exam and provide evidence of proficiency in English, often through an English language exam. The pre-registration exams look at a number of areas including communication skills and clinical skills. This is an important step to ensure patient safety. The requirements for registration are set out in legislation and are in place for patient safety purposes.
