HSE treatment of foreign doctors ‘deplorable’

The Irish Medical Organisation has demanded that the HSE take steps to improve treatment of Indian and Pakistani doctors in the health system amid fears that 80% of recent recruits intend to leave Ireland.

In a statement, the IMO said the treatment of doctors from the two countries was “deplorable” and had resulted in an outward flow of medical staff who had been targeted for work here in the first place.

“It appears that only 17% of the original number who came here in 2011 are involved in discussions with a view to taking up posts within Ireland; the rest would appear to be leaving the country,” the IMO statement said.

The IMO statement focused on non-consultant hospital doctors hired in 2011 on two-year deals to work in supervised divisions.

The IMO said it accepted that the doctors could not simply switch from supervised posts to other areas of the health service, but added: “While the IMO recognise it is vital that standards set by the Irish Medical Council should equally apply to all doctors working in Ireland, it is reprehensible that promises made to the doctors before they left their country are not being honoured.

Citing “onerous and dangerous working hours” and “inappropriate tasks” among the ways in which the doctors had been mistreated, the IMO said: “It is clear that the recruitment challenge facing the HSE in filling non-consultant hospital doctors vacancies is getting more difficult.

However, this is not surprising due to abject failure of the HSE to address the appalling way they continue to treat non-consultant hospital doctors.”

Responding, the HSE said for most of the group recruited in 2011 the two-year period will end in September/October this year and for a smaller cohort the finish date will be in Jan 2014.

“For those doctors who wish to continue working in Irish hospitals, the HSE is supporting them to transfer from the supervised division to another division with the Irish Medical Council, so that they can continue to be appropriately registered to practice here,” a HSE spokesperson said.

“Part of this support included the HSE funding a PRES preparation course for these doctors — 34 doctors took part in the course.

“An additional 35 will be eligible to transfer to another division by virtue of being exempt from the PRES exam; for example if their internship is recognised by the Irish Medical Council or if they have a higher qualification recognised by the Medical Council.”

The HSE added that the planned recruitment campaign in relation to the July intake of junior doctors in continuing.

A spokesperson for the Medical Council said that the PRES examination was just one of three avenues to continuing in the Irish health system for the 2011 non-consultant hospital doctors — the others being evidence of a higher qualification that would allow the doctor to work in that area, or evidence of an internship that would be the equal to an Irish-based internship.

A Medical Council spokesperson also said extra exam capacity will be put in place.