The threatened crisis in hospital staffing may have been averted, groups representing doctors said yesterday.
Their optimism follows an agreement reached between the Minister for Health and Children and the Medical Council on Friday. Under the agreement, the Medical Council will "fast-track" the temporary registration of non-consultant hospital doctors whose countries of origin are outside the EU.
The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association said the move would "considerably alleviate" the situation.
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was also optimistic that hospitals would be able to fill at least some vacant anaesthetist posts without delay.
The effect of the changes agreed on Friday is that non-EU doctors who have successfully completed a period of training in Britain can start work here under the supervision of a consultant and can have their accreditation processed later.
This eliminates what could otherwise be a delay of two to three months before a doctor could take up a post. Non-EU doctors who complete five years' training - previously the maximum time they were allowed to be in training here - will be able to continue for another two years without interruption.
And about 30 doctors who left the register in the last six months or so because they had completed training can take up work again without delay.
Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary general of the IHCA, said some extra doctors had been recruited by hospitals over the weekend following Friday's changes. Others would be recruited over the next few weeks.
But he called for measures to prevent a similar crisis at the end of the year when junior doctors' contracts are due to change again Dr Eamon Tierney, secretary of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, said the association "applauded" the changes which arose from the Minister's meeting with the Medical Council. It remains to be seen which hospitals will still be affected by shortages and to what extent they will be affected, he said.