Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The figures Dr. Gilligan gave indicating we have the lowest ratio of doctors and consultants in the OECD and, on the other side, Professor Murray's point that people's life expectancy has improved, show the dedication and commitment of the medical profession in Ireland in being able to deliver the service despite all the pressures. We need to face up to the challenge and make sure we can recruit and retain the people we need. In particular, I refer to the figure I gave earlier, namely, that approximately 39% of our registered medical practitioners are non-Irish graduates. We rank the second highest in that respect in the OECD, with Israel ranking higher than us.