Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. He has referred to national and international shortages in the supply of non-consultant hospital doctors. He has stated that shortages are particularly acute in regional and more peripheral hospitals such as Letterkenny General Hospital. His response is that this is something with which we must live. His response does not provide specific solutions which is what I asked for in my question. He has outlined that where there should be 121 NCHD posts in Letterkenny General Hospital. Currently 26.5 posts are vacant, with 14 being filled by agency doctors, no doubt at a more significant cost than the full-time posts.

The hospital normally had ten medical registrars but currently there are 8.5 posts. To comply with the working time directive, that number needs to increase to 15 posts. On many days recently there were significant backlogs in the accident and emergency department with people on trolleys, and neither Sligo nor Altnagelvin were able to take the overflow. The public had to live with that difficulty

See this speech in context