THE Government must provide substantial funding to train up to 800 extra Irish doctors a year to tackle the escalating shortage of medical staff here, the Irish Patients’ Association insisted yesterday.

The care provided by a Belfast hospital for a 61-year-old woman with throat problems in the last four days of her life fell short of what was expected, an investigation by the North’s Ombudsman has revealed.

The British government should consider Australian-style reforms to enable hospitals to apologise for mistakes without fear of litigation, Northern Ireland’s Ombudsman Tom Frawley said today.