Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. She knows full well about some of the barriers in the HSE with connecting qualified people to positions. This is why I am raising the issue. I am aware of what is happening with language support, which is positive. We have to look at the costs. I have raised practical issues. All of this information is great. The Minister of State and I know that when it comes to the HSE it is difficult to get it to remove the practical barriers. Not having access to the PLAB exam until November 2023 is a practical barrier that could be easily removed. Emergency PLAB exams could be held in Ireland for Ukrainian doctors. This is a solution.

Ukrainian healthcare workers are not breaking through in the HSE. The posts are there. They are applying for them but they are not getting them. This is why I am raising the issue. We need a bridge between Ukrainian clinical professionals, whether they are healthcare assistants or doctors, and the positions in communities. The reply of the Minister of State is great and language supports are fantastic but the practical issues always hold us up. There reality is that there is a war. The Medical Council and the HSE need to address these issues with pace, as the Minister of State has said, and with urgency.