Dr. Matthew Sadlier:

Reversing the consultant cut would benefit the service in three ways. The first and primary impact concerns junior doctors. A person coming out of medical school, after finishing his or her internship, may look at Irish consultant posts and think those are unattractive. That person is then almost forced to emigrate in order that he or she can plug into the training system of another country and be in line to get a permanent post there. One of the knock-on effects of the pay cut, therefore, was the emigration of doctors at the start of their careers. That was because taking up permanent consultancy posts in other countries may require extra exams and qualifications in that country. It depends on the location, but there can be slight differences in training and speciality. If the pay cut were reversed, therefore, we would see many more interns staying within the health service and taking up posts here.

Regarding the vacant consultant posts, many of them would be filled within 12 to 18 months. From my own friends, I know of four doctors working in Australia who are constantly in contact with me about when the situation will change. If they were to return, they would, of course, have to untangle themselves from their current posts abroad, given the needs of notice periods, advertising and recruitment. The current problems have pertained for seven years, though, so a waiting period of 12 to 18 months is not a bad result.