Irish hospitals are appointing 115 medical trainees from Pakistan to resume services from next month, according to independent.ie.

Hospitals in Ireland are in the middle of another major shortage of junior doctors that has been terribly affecting the emergency.

“There is an ongoing vacancy rate of 100 to 120 junior doctors,” said a spokeswoman for Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE).

The reason of the shortage has been stated as the shunning of hospital posts by Irish-trained junior doctors in Ireland and their moving abroad for training.


Emergency


The HSE said the shortage has been particularly felt in emergency departments of hospitals.

It is therefore hiring doctors from Pakistan and other EU States, the HSE spokeswoman said.

The HSE also announced that they will make the training programs more attractive by offering contracts of one to two years for some jobs.

The recruitment is in the second round now. The basic jobs for the trainees would be obstetrics, psychiatry, general practice and ophthalmology.

“The cost of educating a doctor in an Irish medical school has now reached €80,000 to €100,000,” said Irish Health Minister James Reilly.

"This cost is not entirely paid by the State," he said.

"In relation to undergraduate medical programs, majority students pay a student contribution; this is currently set at €2,500 per annum and will rise to €3,000 in 2015. Grant holders may have this paid on their behalf.

"Undergraduate students not eligible for "free fees" are obliged to pay fees.

In relation to graduate medical programs, the student pays a fee of approximately €15,000 per year.

Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke has asked the minister to put it as a requirement that doctors whose education is paid for should work in an Irish hospital for the first three of the five years after graduation.

He added, “Around 600 medical students graduate annually but half of them emigrate after the internship period.”

Opinion

Editorial

Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....
Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...