Sir, – The current medical brain drain and the large number of unfilled consultant and GP positions in Ireland make it clear that this is not an attractive place for medics to take up work.
The doctors expected to apply for positions as consultants or GPs on inferior terms to their senior colleagues have for the last 10 to 15 years been the junior doctors staffing under-resourced hospitals and enduring poor treatment and training conditions.
A deep sense of distrust between doctors at all levels and the HSE must be addressed before any contract negotiations, or indeed the health service, can move forward. The HSE must examine honestly why medics are choosing not to work in Ireland, or our manpower crisis will worsen. – Yours, etc,
Dr STEVEN MALONEY,
Lower Rathmines Road,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Is it reasonable that a young medical doctor should leave the State soon after qualifying without returning any significant benefit to the taxpayer that funded their education?
The registration fees are about a tenth of the actual cost of training; these costs are borne by all taxpayers but the benefit – increased earning power for life – accrues to one individual.
May I respectfully suggest that a return to the exchequer could be made either by working full time in a public hospital (not private practice) for several years before leaving or undertaking to repay all or part of the true cost to the taxpayer once they exceed a comfortable living, say twice the average industrial wage, of wherever they go? This return could be used to fund more university places, reducing the strain on the public purse. Many who pay taxes cannot hope to complete such courses.
The same principle might be applied to other high earning-power graduates – a useful contribution to the State from the supply of medical, legal, engineering personnel working on socially necessary but “unprofitable” areas, such as advocacy for the disenfranchised, caring for the vulnerable, public civic projects, etc. While there are often no jobs, there is much work that needs doing to improve our society.
I’m sure a reasonable set of terms and conditions could be worked out with the relevant State departments to ensure all citizens benefit from the investment in the few. – Yours, etc,
JOHN COLLINS,
The Old Post Office,
Skeaghvasteen,
Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – The majority of medical emigrants stay on the Irish medical registrar when going abroad. The figure which is much more relevant as a measure of medical emigration is the number of requests for letters of good standing , as all those going abroad need this letter. The true level of Irish medical emigration is being underestimated. – Yours, etc,
Dr PADDY DAVERN,
Barwa City,
Qatar.