Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In 2011, more than 200 doctors were recruited in India and Pakistan and brought into Ireland. We rushed through legislation to create a new supervised division and the doctors were given two year contracts. Some of those contracts will expire in July and others in December, because some doctors did not begin working until January 2012. We may, therefore, have a shortage of junior doctors in June and July of this year.

While we have a contract with a university in Pakistan to bring in a new group of doctors, we may lose an opportunity to retain doctors who have been working in Ireland for two years. We will not be able to give them new contracts unless they can move from the supervised division into the general division.

Little progress has been made on this matter by the Department of Health, the HSE or the Medical Council, and this issue needs to be clarified. Some hospital are still awaiting receipt of CVs and, therefore, cannot even interview applicants for the vacancies that will arise in June and July.

I seek clarification on this matter. The HSE, the Department of Health and the Medical Council should work together to resolve this problem. People who have two years experience of working in Ireland should be given the opportunity to stay here, make a contribution to our medical service and fill the gaps that will arise in our hospitals and health system.