Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1842. To ask the Minister for Health the number of medical interns offered a post in 2020; the number accepted; the number of medical graduates that year; if every medical graduate had an intern post offered in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15639/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In 2020 a medical intern position was offered by the HSE to 1,295 applicants. The number of applicants that accepted this offer and commenced working with the HSE was 992.

It is not necessary to be a graduate of an Irish medical school to be eligible to apply for an internship position with the HSE. The 1,295 eligible applicants would have included graduates from Irish Medical Schools but also included graduates from Medical schools in the UK and Poland. A graduate also has a period of two years from when they have graduated to apply for an internship. In previous years 734 medical internship positions were available. The measures put in place in 2020 were emergency measures in direct response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Over the past number of weeks, my Department and the HSE have been reviewing the option to increase the number of medical intern places for July 2021. I have announced an increase of 120 medical intern posts for July 2021. The increase in the number of intern places will be supported with accompanying increases in postgraduate training places, to ensure these doctors can avail of the next step in the training pathway following completion of an internship.

Over the next number of months, the HSE will be undertaking a formal review of the number of intern posts and postgraduate training positions to ensure the number of intern places are in line with future medical workforce planning requirements of the health service.  As part of this review the clinical sites where additional intern posts are most needed will be considered to ensure that the current configuration provides the most efficient and educationally appropriate model.