Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My party would do so at any time.

I presumed that the opening statement by Mr. O'Brien was going to be followed by others of his colleagues.

I join with the Chairman in welcoming the delegation. We are readdressing the issue even though it is a short period since the quarterly meeting. It underscores the high level of concern by the level of the Oireachtas joint committee regarding the reality of NCHD cover at a number of hospital sites around the country as of July.

On the last occasion Mr. O'Brien attended he indicated the recruitment target from Pakistan as being 20 NCHDs for each of the specialties of anaesthesia, emergency medicine and surgical specialties was identified but that the target would not be "achievable in anaesthesia, in particular." Those were his words. Is that still the case? What is the up-to-date information on anaesthesia, in particular, and the targeting of Pakistan?

With regard to South Africa, we were told of a potential availability of ten to 20 candidates out of a set target of 60. Again, there has been a major shortfall. What is the current position?

We have the incredible situation, that was also mentioned in the five page report, whereby higher payments paid to agency staff are incentivising NCHDs to leave their normal employment in order to take up agency posts. This is done on the basis that they will then be re-employed in the vacancy created through agency appointment or deployment. Clearly, those posts are not open to being filled in the normal way under the current employment embargo. Can Mr. O'Brien comment on the matter? Is it true that when an NCHD person leaves a post to join an agency, the post can only be filled by agency staff? Does that not highlight the need for more NCHD posts, initially? I emphasised the word "initially" because I believe that the committee is of one mind in wanting to implement its recommendation to create new grades and a new career path, in the first instance, for young Irish trained doctors working in the health system. What is the position as of July? What is the shortfall? How will it impact on patient care?

The Chairman does not have a bell but he has a big mallet that he may hit me with when I mention the following. At the end of last week I received a parliamentary reply to a question that I tabled on Letterkenny General Hospital. It is one of the specific hospital sites that I have instanced as a particular area of concern. I shall conclude by pointing out that a reply received from Mr. John Hayes, Donegal area manager, HSE West confirmed the serious situation that pertains at the hospital. I have highlighted the matter here before. The situation at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, is particularly acute. Mr. Hayes indicated that every effort was being made but stated:

However, key challenges still remain in some specialties and particularly in respect of Registrar grade doctors. This is especially true in the Department of Medicine where the requirement for locum registrars is expected to be close to 50% of the total in that department.

Access to trainee posts is one of the areas that I have highlighted that needs to be addressed. A greater number of trainee posts are directed to other major hospital sites. Mr. Hayes also advised:

Dialogue with the Royal Colleges & the HSE Medical Education & Training Unit has enabled Letterkenny to designate a greater proportion of existing NCHD posts as formal training posts. The hospital has also engaged medical agencies to source doctors for key posts.

That is stating the obvious, the hospital is in desperate need to overcome the current challenges. A fear that has been expressed to me about Letterkenny General Hospital is that some services may not be sustained as of the July date because of the great difficulties that the HSE is having in finding a sufficient number of post holders to undertake the workload and job responsibility at the hospital.