Ireland’s 'over-reliance' on foreign-trained nurses and doctors singled out in OECD report

The report found that in 2023 over 40% of doctors in Ireland were foreign-trained.

Ireland’s “over-reliance” on foreign-trained nurses and doctors has been singled out in an OECD report looking at the nation’s health compared to European counterparts.

This is despite the country faring well in terms of the number of new medical graduates per 100,000 population compared to the likes of Germany.

On the other hand, the OECD report also highlights how Ireland has one of the highest estimated healthy life years at age 65, and one of the lowest rates of people aged 65 and over reporting to be in bad or very bad health.

Published in November but highlighted by the Government in a release on Monday, the OECD report said urgent action is needed to address health workforce shortages and singled out Ireland in its executive summary.

“In 2023, over 40% of doctors in Norway, Ireland, and Switzerland, and over 50% of nurses in Ireland were foreign-trained.” it said.

“While providing a quick solution to pressing needs, an overreliance on foreign-trained health workers risks exacerbating workforce shortages and overall fragility in source countries, often lower-income nations already grappling with acute health workforce constraints.” 

It said this reliance on foreign-trained workers comes despite Ireland having over 24 new medical graduates per 100,000 population, comparing favourably to the 12 per 100,000 population in countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Germany.

The report said this reflects the success of medical schools in countries like Ireland to attract international students.

“While these provide opportunities for students to study medicine in another country, in most cases these international students leave the country after obtaining their first medical degree due to limited postgraduate specialty training opportunities or better career prospects in their home countries,” it said.

In the short-term, the OECD said improving working conditions and remuneration will be critical to increasing the attractiveness of the profession and retaining current health workers.

Life expectancy

In better news, life expectancy at birth in Ireland is 82.6 years, above the EU average of 81.5 in 7th place. Ireland also has the lowest proportion of its population aged 65 and over at 15%.

Furthermore, the share of the population aged 65 and over is projected to have increased by more than two-thirds between 2023 and 2050.

Ireland also lagged behind the EU average on the percentage of people aged 65 and over achieving the recommended minimum physical activity per week.

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Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler said the data shows Ireland has made “significant strides” in improving healthcare access and promoting healthy lifestyles among older adults.

“Ireland has one of the highest life expectancy in the EU, and credit must be paid to all those who work in our health care services, community and acute,” she said. “Ensuring the voice and choice of our Older population in relation to decisions made are paramount.

“Our focus in 2025 will be to build on the significant progress made in proactive healthy ageing initiatives and providing accessible quality services where older people can flourish and enjoy their later years in good health and with dignity.’’