Changes to Access to Training for non-EU Doctors Welcomed
127 non-EU doctors left Ireland in 2019 due to lack of access to training and career progression
Monday, 27th September 2021: The Medical Council has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Health, that greater access to higher specialist training will be available for non-EU/EEA doctors working in Ireland making it easier for these doctors to progress their careers, which will in time help fill vacant consultant posts and ultimately benefit patients.
Medical Council CEO, Mr Leo Kearns said “This decision is greatly welcomed, and one long sought by the Medical Council.”
“The data gathered by the Medical Council through the annual Medical Workforce Intelligence Reports in recent years has shown that large numbers of non-EU doctors are withdrawing from the medical register in Ireland in order to access further training and career progression in other jurisdictions, to the detriment of Irish hospitals and healthcare facilities.”
“Research conducted by the Medical Council showed that 127 non-EU doctors left Ireland in 2019 citing reasons such as limited career progression, poor quality of training available to them and no flexible training opportunities.”
“Although this is a very welcome announcement, medical workforce planning is vitally important to the provision of safe healthcare and much work remains to make sure we make Ireland an attractive and healthy place for doctors to work”, concluded Mr Kearns.
Medical Council President, Dr Suzanne Crowe, said “This announcement will bring great hope for the future for many families around Ireland. For too long I have seen excellent colleagues work for years in the same or similar roles with little or no chance of career progression due to lack of training opportunities for them in Ireland because they came from outside the EU to work in Ireland.”
“Not only will these excellent doctors, many of whom are raising their families here, will benefit from this decision but so too will the patients of Ireland.”
“As we continue to employ and welcome doctors from outside the EU we must work towards making Ireland a place that they wish to settle in long term and contribute to the development of our health service while addressing the many other issues which must be tackled to ensure that the Irish health service becomes one that is an attractive place to work in which we can retain all of our doctors currently working here. This announcement is one which will greatly help.”
“I want to congratulate all those who advocated and fought so long for this change,” concluded Dr Crowe.
This change in policy announced by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, regarding the application of EU/EEA Community Preference to postgraduate medical training programmes, by the Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies, making it easier for non-EU citizens to progress their careers is a very welcomed development.
The Medical Council had long sought access to training for non-EU doctors, seeking amendments to the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 to address a number of issues including removing the legislative barriers to accessing postgraduate training for non-EU qualified doctors, which was introduced in November 2020 with the commencement of relevant sections of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020.
ENDS…