John Gormley
Ceist:444 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the demand by junior doctors for shorter working hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1366/00]
Vol. 513 No. 1
444 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the demand by junior doctors for shorter working hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1366/00]
I fully appreciate the concern expressed by the Irish Medical Organisation on behalf of junior doctors regarding their current working hours. I share that concern and I hope it will be possible to progressively reduce them to a more acceptable level.
The standard working week of non-consultant hospital doctors – NCHDs – is 39 hours. However as part of an agreement with the Irish Medical Organisation, NCHDs may be rostered for duty up to a maximum average of 65 hours per week. I should point out that NCHDs working hours include the standard working day, time spent on call and time spent working while on call. I do not dispute the fact that much of this time is actually spent working. NCHDs are the backbone of the hospital medical staffing structure and make a tremendous contribution to the provision of hospital care.