'Be on Call' recruitment drive sees 420 doctors return to frontline

For the first time in Ireland, younger doctors include 5% more women than men. File photo

Be On Call for Ireland, an HSE recruitment drive that aimed to bolster frontline staff when the Covid pandemic hit, saw a total of 420 doctors return to practice medicine here, according to the Irish Medical Council.

An estimated 73,000 people applied for roles with the HSE at the start of the pandemic, but many had no medical qualifications or were trained but were unable to find a suitable post through the system.