Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2000

Vol. 522 No. 3

Written Answers. - Medical Staff Shortages.

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

184 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he has taken since assuming office to ensure that a shortage of anaesthetists does not result in the postponement of elective surgery and delay the carrying out of acute surgery; if he will state the current number of vacant anaesthesia posts in our hospitals; and if further vacancies will arise from 1 July 2000. [18809/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

The staffing requirements of hospitals and the deployment of staff within hospitals is a matter for local management having regard to the services which hospitals are expected to provide. There are particular staffing difficulties being faced by the health services at present across a wide range of areas, particularly in the medical, paramedical and nursing areas.

Action is being taken on a number of fronts to address these difficulties. However, in relation to the medical staffing of hospitals, the issues are 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.

Difficulties in the medical staffing of anaesthetics from 1 July 2000 concern the shortage of junior hospital doctors. In that regard health service employers and the Health Service Employers Agency are continuing to monitor the take-up of employment offers made to non-consultant hospital doctors – NCHDs – for 1 July 2000. The situation is likely to remain fluid until then as an NCHD may have an offer of employment from more than one hospital. Accordingly, I am not at this time in a position to give a precise figure of the number of vacant posts on 1 July other than to say that about 27 junior hospital doctor posts in anaesthetics remain unfilled as of Tuesday, 27 June. I expect further positions to be filled up to and after 1 July. Hospitals are exploring different options in an effort to ensure that essential posts are filled. In the event that some posts remain unfilled, hospitals will be asked to ensure that essential and critical services are not affected. With the full co-operation from all concerned, and a commitment to making the best use of available resources, the effect on services can be minimised.

As I said, while the primary responsibility for the staffing of hospitals rests with hospital management, I am seeking the co-operation of the Opposition in amending the Medical Practitioners Act, 1978, to extend the period of temporary registration for NCHDs from five years to seven years. This will remove an obstacle for some NCHDs and allow them to remain and work in Ireland.