Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for my late arrival which is due to a number of votes in the Seanad. I welcome the ambassador and wish the Italian Presidency every success in the next six months.

The issue I wish to raise is mentioned in the ambassador's submission, that is, health care and health research. He referred to the Dublin declaration of ten years ago on the issue of a joint approach in dealing with HIV and AIDS. I wish to touch on medical research. As a group, the 28 member states of the European Union have not worked as well as we could in the whole area of medical research. It is an important area on which we need to focus given that 70% of people outside the EU who are interested in research end up working in the US and do not come into Europe. As this is an area in which we all have a part to play, perhaps we could do more work together with member states, particularly since this has been highlighted as part of the programme of the Presidency.

There should be much more co-operation between member states in the area of health. We have a problem in Ireland where we are trying to get people in from developing countries to work in our health service. For example, we have 4,900 junior doctors in Irish hospitals, 54% of whom are not Irish graduates. A medical friend of mine who attended a conference in Sweden met some Italian doctors, following which I am advised that there are a huge number of junior doctors in Italy who are suitably qualified and cannot get employment. From our point of view this would be an ideal opportunity to try to build links with Italian universities who are producing medical graduates and medical training programmes by bringing in people from Italy to work here rather than seeking them outside the EU. Is that an area in which there could be much more co-operation? I am talking not only about co-operation between Italy and Ireland but co-operation between all member states in the area of health care professionals.

A Harvard study published last week indicated that health care professionals are the most difficult to recruit due to a world demand and a world shortage. That group has been identified as the group where one is least likely to be successful in recruiting. Given that junior doctors in Italy find it difficult to get employment, as conveyed back to me from the conference in Sweden six or eight weeks ago, can some work be done, as part of the programme, on more co-operation on health care and health research across the 28 member states?

The EU directive on cross-border health care passed in February 2011, which is being implemented in each member state, provides that people may travel from one member state to another member state if they cannot get it in their own member state. Perhaps the ambassador would refer to this in his reply as health care is an extremely important issue for every member state.