Gerry O'Sullivan
Ceist:15 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he has satisfied himself that up to 80 per cent of Irish medical school graduates emigrate each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers - Medical School Graduates.
I do not accept that up to 80 per cent of Irish medical school graduates emigrate each year.
Irish doctors have always had a tradition of going abroad in pursuit of further training and experience in order to further their careers. The majority of doctors who go abroad return to take up senior medical posts bringing with them the benefit of training and experience obtained abroad.
Is the Minister aware of a report published on 29 June in a national newspaper that over one third of non-consultant hospital doctors practising in Ireland now are from outside the EC countries? Is he aware that the President of the Irish Medical Organisation described the current shortage of non-consultant hospital doctors as a crisis and predicted that the situation will deteriorate in the next three to five years and that the emigration of qualified young doctors from this country is now a serious scandal?
I am aware that there is a number of non-national doctors working in Ireland. That has been the case for as long as I remember. As I pointed out in response to an earlier question a survey conducted by the Higher Education Authority showed that 72 per cent of doctors graduating in Ireland found employment in Ireland. Of the 28 per cent who go abroad half of those are foreign nationals, generally going home to their own country.
Have any surveys been carried out by any of the two working groups he established subsequent to the no confidence motion in February into the emigration of qualified doctors from this country? Does he propose to take any action to ensure that the 300 or so medical graduates emerging from our medical schools each year are employed where they are needed in this country?
The two groups to which the Deputy refers would not have any relevance to the question he asked. The Kennedy group will be dealing with the Dublin hospitals and co-ordination in the Dublin hospitals. As the Deputy is probably aware there has never been a problem in Dublin hospitals in attracting non-consultant hospital doctors. The problems are in the smaller hospitals through out the country. The Fox group is looking purely at the question of value for money. Again, it would not be relevant that they should be looking at the non-consultant hospital doctors, whether they were qualified and what their experience was.
A final and brief supplementary question from Deputy Howlin.
Is the Minister satisfied that such a large proportion — one-third as instanced in the report I mentioned — of our non-consultant hospital doctors are from outside the EC? Would he say whether he finds that acceptable or whether he plans taking any action in that regard?
Yes, I do find it acceptable. They are free agents; if doctors want to move around there is no way I will debar them from so doing. I also want to make it absolutely clear to the Deputy that there is no way I will discriminate against non-nationals in Irish hospitals.