Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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197. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which medical professionals, dentists and general practitioners who are Ukrainian nationals now living here can have their Ukrainian qualifications recognised in Ireland in order to take-up employment in the health services; and if such professionals meet the criteria to qualify for the critical skills list. [28205/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war have been granted temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive and this allows them to reside in the EU and enter the labour market. Ukrainian medical doctors and dentists do not require an employment permit.  The ability of Ukrainian doctors and dentists to practise will be dependent on the recognition of their professional qualifications and subsequent registration with the relevant regulatory body. 

The Medical Council is the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland. It is committed to supporting doctors arriving from Ukraine seeking to work in this jurisdiction.  The Medical Council has established an internal working group to examine ways in which it can support these doctors and has a dedicated email address and webpage for doctors arriving from Ukraine. It is working with a range of stakeholders to examine ways in which it can further support doctors arriving from Ukraine into Ireland. 

The Dental Council is the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of dentists in Ireland and is establishing a new pathway to registration to allow it consider applications for registration from dentists fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The Council is in regular communications with these dentists, and it recently addressed a meeting of Ukrainian dentists in Ireland to advise on its processes.  The Council is assessing the possibility of providing adaptation periods or allowing Ukrainian dentists to work under supervision if gaps in training are identified. It will only be possible to fully assess the pathway to practise for Ukrainian dentists once the Council commences processing applications.  The Dental Council will also utilise the resources made available by the EU to assist in determining how Ukrainian dental qualifications match against the EU minimum training standards for dentists, which are harmonised across the EU and EEA by the Professional Qualifications Directive.

Officials from my Department form part of a co-ordination group established by the European Commission to examine the registration of Ukrainian health and social care professionals arriving in EU States because of the conflict.  This group shares knowledge and best practice and is examining methods to streamline and expedite recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications for these professionals, including the use of electronic databases, the EU information centres for academic recognition and machine translation tools. My Department, along with the Medical and Dental Councils, will continue to ensure that all avenues are being explored with a view to enabling Ukrainian qualified doctors and dentists to apply for registration, always conscious of the need to ensure that patient safety is to the fore of any decisions regarding registration.