Ms Vanessa Hetherington:

The Senator is correct as there has been an increase in the number of registered doctors and a great increase in the number of doctors who have come from abroad to work in the system. That now represents 40% of our population. We are in contravention of WHO guidelines on ethical recruitment of healthcare professionals by recruiting doctors from developing countries where doctors are needed more urgently. Doctors traditionally come here to get experience and training but they are not even being offered those opportunities in the system. We can see them leaving again for fear of becoming deskilled or disillusioned with the opportunities in the system. It is a very transient figure.

We must examine the figures on the Medical Council register in depth. For example, 70% of doctors are working in Ireland only and many of them could remain on the register here but they have emigrated. A cohort of doctors also has come in and out as locums. We need to delve into those numbers a little further.