Vol. 514 No. 3
201 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the fact that many specialities, including accident and emergency, are experiencing difficulty in recruiting non-consultant hospital doctors which is partly due to Medical Council rules regarding the registration of non-EU doctors and recognition for training posts. [4044/00]
The medical staffing of hospitals is currently being addressed by the medical manpower forum. With particular regard to non-consultant hospital doctors the forum is seeking to redress the imbalance between career posts and training posts, the need to improve postgraduate medical training to keep more Irish medical graduates in the country, and the need to look at the position of women in medicine in Ireland with a view to redressing the number who leave medicine. The Medical Manpower Forum is due to publish its first report shortly.
202 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on a situation where newly qualified Irish doctors are dropping out of medicine and pursuing lucratic careers in other areas, thereby creating problems in filling many specialist positions in hospitals. [4045/00]
Doctors, both trained and untrained, leave medicine for different reasons. This has not affected the filling of consultant posts in any specialty.
The Medical Manpower Forum is examining all issues concerning the medical staffing of our hospitals. Among the issues being considered is career progression for doctors. The forum is due to report shortly.
