Dr. Jennifer Creese:

In medical culture the medical hierarchies and the way doctors function with one another on a professional level are standard throughout the world. It is the same in the UK, Australia, the US and Ireland. All doctors go through it but other countries do not have the same retention issues as the Irish system. There is something else going on as well as the professional issues. These are separate issues to address. It is more important at this stage to address the first part of what the Deputy spoke about. While changing medical culture is something that is very difficult to do, changing the health system and the structures in which doctors will function is much more in the remit of what is possible to do in Ireland to improve things. The working conditions and working hours are the most important matters to get a handle on first. Then the situation would be brought up to the same footing as everywhere else in the world. It would then not be a question of people asking whether they could be a doctor in Australia or Ireland. It would be about being a doctor in a person's own country and being the best they can be in that professional framework.