Sir, - In Ireland junior doctors are regularly rostered to work over 100 hours a week. They are often rostered for continuous shifts in excess of 48 hours. Despite the enormous stress and responsibility of the job, these doctors are on half-pay for the vast majority of overtime worked.
These conditions represent a serious threat to patient safety. They are also a serious threat to the well-being of doctors who are obliged by the Department of Health to face life-and-death situations in a state of exhaustion.
It is extraordinary how the public, the media, and patient support groups accept this appalling situation. If pilots were found to have the same working conditions as junior doctors, would there be the same silence. - Yours, etc. Dr Toddy Daly,
Brooklawn Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.