Physiotherapy schools should be scrapped

THE Minister for Education has asked universities to cut 3% off their salary budgets.

May I suggest that they scrap all four Schools of Physiotherapy since the HSE, despite waiting lists and patients in pain, will not employ recently qualified physiotherapists.

Many young physiotherapists have already involuntarily emigrated, my own daughter included.

Others are doing masters degrees in physiotherapy (and paying big fees) in the hope that the situation will change. It won’t!

The Minister for Health set up a committee of the stakeholders to look at physiotherapy unemployment some months ago. Even more have emigrated since then.

I understand that most of this year’s nursing graduates won’t get work in nursing, not because they are not needed but because of the HSE budget obsession. So again, universities could close some of the nursing training schools.

Speech therapists and occupational therapists are also being trained but not employed in any significant numbers. So again, universities could close some training schools.

It is crazy that the taxpayer pays for these medical professionals and then does not benefit from their much needed skills.

Enid O’Dowd

Ranelagh

Dublin 6