Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Anthony Owens:

I thank the Deputy for his question. I will go back to the idea of vocation. I work a good deal with non-consultant hospital doctors, who are doctors in training. They are the next generation of consultants and GPs and so on. A series of issues arise for them year after year, including long working hours, lack of access to training time and lack of family-friendly policies. Their working hours often require them to stay very late at very short notice, but it has to be done. Oftentimes, they do not even get paid when they stay late. Then, we get involved in a protracted row with the hospital and eventually get them paid. Eventually, we might get them paid one year later. I do not know about vocation, but as far as I am concerned it is a wonder we do not lose more of them.

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