Sir, – Eighty per cent of non-consultant hospital doctors in Ireland qualified overseas, nearly half of them in Pakistan and Sudan (News, August 15th).
We have three times as many doctors per head as Pakistan and 10 times as many as Sudan.
We are in breach of a World Health Organisation code of practice that states: “Member states should discourage recruitment from developing countries facing critical shortages of health workers.”
In addition to the loss of human capital, the recruitment by rich countries of doctors from poor countries results in a huge cost in excess mortality in low-income countries.
Ireland’s foreign policy allocates €1 billion a year “to address poverty, hunger, and inequality” in the world’s poorest countries.
Investing in good health is essential for reducing poverty.
Poaching doctors from poor countries is truly overseas aid in reverse. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.