Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for Health the measures he has taken to address the shortage of junior doctors in emergency departments here; if these measures will be in place by the 11 July; and the length of time before these measures are fully implemented. [18081/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am working with the HSE and other stakeholders to ensure the filling of as many as possible of some 475 NCHD posts which are due to be filled from 11 July 2011. The HSE conducted an extensive recruitment drive in India and Pakistan in recent months and succeeded in identifying 439 potential candidates for NCHD positions in Ireland. I have held meetings involving my Department, the Medical Council, medical training bodies and the HSE with a view to identifying measures to facilitate the appointment of suitably qualified doctors from abroad. Drafting of a Bill to amend the Medical Practitioners Act, 2007, to enable the Medical Council to register doctors in supervised posts for a defined period, is at an advanced stage.

I can assure the Deputy that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure the ongoing safe delivery of service in hospitals and in emergency departments in particular. I am advised that while significant staffing problems remain at both SHO and registrar level in emergency medicine, it is anticipated that increasing the number of staff available to general surgery and general medicine will assist in the delivery and support of emergency department services. In this context, the HSE is focusing on addressing particular emergency department staffing issues in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, the Midlands Regional Hospital at Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise and Naas General Hospital.

Notwithstanding this and other initiatives, it is unlikely that all NCHD vacancies can be filled by 11 July. Hospital managements are working with clinical directors in a planned way to devise contingency arrangements which can be implemented if required, to ensure that any resulting impact on services is minimised and that safe delivery of hospital services is assured. In the medium-term, ongoing reform of the system will result in changes in how care is delivered in certain locations. This will be done on a basis that takes account of the need to reduce the current reliance on NCHDs.