Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
70. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken to deliver an increased provision of healthcare education, given the recent recognition by the Minister for Health that we need to approximately double the number of healthcare professionals we are training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6949/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July 2022 I announced an increase in medicine places for EU students in Irish Medical Schools, alongside the Minister for Health. The agreement reached with the medical schools led to an increase of 60 places in September 2022, climbing to 120 in September 2023, and up to 200 by 2026.
This will mean by 2026 an additional 200 students will commence medicine each year. This increase was done at a pace and scale which is unprecedented and which, importantly, provides for continued multi-annual expansion. In addition, 135 new places in nursing programmes were introduced from last September.
The Higher Education Authority is currently running a process to identify where further additional capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of healthcare areas including Medicine and Nursing. It is the intention that further such processes for other disciplines will be run later in the year.
Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to develop a joined-up approach to meet system level demand across the health sector.
There are some fundamental issues, which are in the control of the health sector, which are prerequisites to enable expansion. These relate to guarantees of clinical placements, detailed and robust workforce planning projections and engagement with regulators. In addition to qualifying additional health professionals, success in the recruitment and retention of health professionals by the health sector will be key.
Future growth of provision in the higher education sector will be dependent on action in these areas by the appropriate authorities in the health sector.
My Department is committed to working closely with the Department of Health and its agencies to ensure that the conditions are in place to support further growth in educational provision.
