Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has called on the Minister for Health to go further on retaining all of the additional hospital doctor intern posts and expanding access to specialist training.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“The Minister for Health must go further and retain all of the additional hospital doctor intern posts that were added last year.

“We have a recruitment and retention crisis in our hospitals. Addressing this must start with giving new entrants a fair shot.

“Medical students who graduate in Ireland should be given the opportunity to work and stay in Ireland.

“I have raised this with the Tánaiste and the Minister and hope to see more done on this in the coming weeks.

“There is also a need for reform in access to specialist training. First and foremost, more training positions are needed.

“We need to expand opportunities for continuous professional development for hospital doctors to address the fundamental causes of the retention crisis.

“The IMO have signalled that hundreds of non-consultant hospital doctors could leave this summer due to understaffing and overworking.

“There must be enough intern posts and specialist training places to ensure every medical student and doctor can work and progress their career in the health system.

“This is essential to addressing waiting lists through workforce management.

“We must also expand access to theatre space, equipment, and support staff to ensure that our doctors can do their job well and efficiently.”