Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. O'Brien for the presentation. I ask the witnesses to focus on many of the points raised by Senator Colm Burke. First, I am the mother of a non-consultant hospital doctor, NCHD. He entered that career full of hope, having wanted to be a doctor since he was eight years old. However, both he and his colleagues are really frustrated and their morale is really low. While Mr. O'Brien talked about a career path, I do not know what career path because all I know is that he does interviews every six months and every 12 months. He and many of his friends have been obliged to emigrate and it is very frustrating for them. I did not speak to him before today's meeting because sometimes it is very difficult to listen to him or even to get him, because he appears to be working all the time. I note the junior doctors put forward the idea that starting in their first year, they should work for two years as junior doctors, rather than the single year they work at present before being obliged to go abroad or to be placed again. In many of the hospitals mentioned that are having difficulties, there is no proper career path for these kids.

In addition, I note another relative sat the leaving certificate examinations last year, secured 600 points but did not get into medicine. It galls me when I hear the HSE is trying to bring people into the country because we do not have a sufficient number of doctors and yet kids whose leaving certificate results yielded 600 points did not get into medicine. This is disgraceful and I refer to kids who are sitting the leaving certificate exams today. While I believe the position in respect of the HPAT exams will be changed next year because it has failed, there are kids who came through our system but did not get into medicine although they really wanted to so do and who have gone abroad. Some of my son's friends have trained in Wales and England and are doing very well. They now are fantastic doctors in the English system. We are supplying New Zealand and Australia with the best doctors but cannot employ our own doctors. Consequently, we really must consider their career path. I ask the witnesses to comment specifically on the proposal for two-year rotas for junior doctors in Ireland, rather than the current one-year rota. While I have said all I have to say, I must tell Mr. O'Brien I get really annoyed when I hear him talking about trying to bring doctors into the country. Why do we not train enough doctors and give them a proper career path in this country?