Doctors’ hours - Welfare of patients is at stake

If Martians landed here and went to hospital for emergency treatment they would know they were on a different planet in more ways than one.

would be a very real prospect of being attended by a doctor who had been working for anything up to 36 hours. If they were smart, they would high-tail it to another galaxy.

Such long working hours are commonplace for non consultant hospital doctors in Ireland, even though the practice is repugnant to EU directives, Irish legislation and common sense. All other sectors of our society have to ensure that employees are given both a safe place and a safe system of work.