Hundreds of trainee doctor hospital posts to be shelved

Three hundred extra training places for doctors created at the start of the pandemic look set to be cancelled, leaving Irish hospitals short-staffed.

Three hundred extra training places for doctors created at the start of the pandemic look set to be cancelled, leaving Irish hospitals even more short-staffed.

Last year medical students snapped up just over 1,000 places around the country as hospitals desperately sought extra staff.

But now, as this year’s students should be getting ready to register for training, the funding appears to have been axed for that many places,

Dr Cormac Duff, a paediatrician at the Rotunda Hospital said: “Last year every student who wanted to get a job in Ireland got one. There is definitely demand in Irish hospitals.” 

Interns typically make up one-quarter of the medical teams at the hospital. He predicted the change would mean just one intern slot filled on eight-person teams.

Dr Duff said fewer places will impact especially on the non-EU trainee doctors working in Ireland.

When then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the extra places in April, he said: “I think in the past we haven’t been as fair to doctors from overseas as we might have been, and that’s something we want to change into the future.” 

As in all EU countries Irish citizens and then EU citizens get preference for places regardless of whether the non-EU students have higher grades.

“Only a fraction of them will get a place now, and some of them have paid fees of over €60,000,” he said.

Usually students send off applications in March, and hear back in June as to which hospital they will attend for the first of two six-month sessions.

Dr Duff, formerly a lecturer at the training college Royal College of Surgeons, said time is running out to solve this.

“We would urgently call for action on this from the minister,” he said.

The Irish Medical Organisation has written to the HSE about the problem, most recently last month.

Industrial relations officer Paul Maier said: “It is urgent that this is now resolved.” He questioned the HSE’s estimate that returning to 720 interns is enough to fill the vacant posts as hospitals prepare to tackle huge waiting lists after the pandemic.

“Our view is that there are not enough doctors at any level in Irish hospitals at this stage,” he said.

And he was also critical of the impact on non-EU doctors.

He said Ireland takes “the best and brightest” of international students but prevents them from completing their training.

However, he said hope is not lost and he understands the HSE’s National Doctor’s Training and Planning Unit may review the decision.