Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The HSE is working in collaboration with the Irish Medical Council, IMC, to identify potential regions for recruitment of doctors around the world who meet the IMC registration standards. Any such recruitment needs to be in line with our ethical guidelines. We are a signatory, as the Deputy will be aware, of the WHO's global code on the recruitment of international health professionals. Through this code, developed countries are encouraged to attain self-sufficiency in the domestic health workforce. Hence, I believe we are now moving to significantly increase college places here in Ireland. We should be moving to a position where we are happy to bring in international healthcare professionals, give them extra training and experience but with a view to their going back to their own countries as more highly trained and experienced professionals, while we have self-sufficiency within our own system. Any doctor who wants to practice in Ireland has to meet the registration requirements of the IMC. It is my understanding that the IMC does not automatically recognise qualifications from Cuba as indeed it does not from many countries throughout the world. However, there is a process in place for such doctors to take examinations and have their qualifications recognised.

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