More than 700 consultant posts remain unfilled in Ireland

The IHCA says Ireland has 1.49 medical specialists per 1,000 people, the lowest in Europe and 41% below the EU average of 2.53. File Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

There are now 728 unfilled consultant posts in Ireland, 45% more than previously believed, according to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA).

New data from the HSE's National Doctors Training and Planning unit confirms that over a fifth of all permanent consultant posts are vacant or filled on a temporary, locum, or agency basis.