News

Number of doctors who enrolled on the medical register for the first time in 2018 is at a four year low 40 more specialists withdrew from the register than enrolled for the first time Government’s policy towards new entrant consultants is driving our highly trained doctors and consultants abroad and undermining acute hospital care for patients IHCA President Dr Donal O’Hanlon said: “The Irish health service is not competitive due to the inequality in pay being imposed on consultants appointed since October 2012.”

Potential of a ‘bad’ flu season and a shortage of both Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Hospital Consultants increase risk of reduced quality of care for patients this winter 53,135 additional patients on outpatient lists since Taoiseach first promised talks on consultant recruitment crisis IHCA President Dr. Donal O’Hanlon: “the current position of constant crisis in our hospitals could very quickly move to catastrophe if our acute hospitals experience any additional strains on their already overstretched resources this winter”.

- A doctor is now twice as likely to take his or her own life than a member of the general population

National Children’s Hospital, National Cancer Care, Maternity Strategy, Mental Health Plan, and the Critical Care Programme among those threatened by consultant shortage

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said the findings of the unpublished HSE’s National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP) unit report, as confirmed in today’s Sunday Business Post, are a damning indictment of the government’s policy which has undermined hospital consultant recruitment. This is of significant importance as it is gravely damaging the delivery of timely care to patients.

9 October 2018 - The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has outlined its grave concern that the 2019 Health Budget is unlikely to address the serious capacity deficits that are delaying the provision of public hospital care to patients, unless urgent capacity needs in our acute hospitals are addressed. The Association outlined in great detail in its pre-budget submission to the Minister for Health and other government Ministers that underfunding of public hospitals has led to record numbers of patients on trolleys and on waiting lists.