The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned that a chronic shortage of doctors will have devastating implications if the matter is not addressed.
The organisation, representing almost 7,000 medical professionals in Ireland addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on health and medical workforce planning today, urging them to act regarding the issues facing workforce resources, saying the health service will collapse if doctors are not recruited on a properly sustained basis.
The IMO argue that without investment there will be not be enough doctors to meet the needs of the healthcare service brought on by Covid-19.
According to the group there are currently 500 vacant consultant posts, while the HSE National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP) estimates that a minimum of 1,260 GP's will be required over the next decade.
The IMO also state that there are currently over 840,000 on waiting lists for consultant services, with Ireland having the lowest number of specialists per head of population in the EU.
The group highlighted four key issues which they feel must be addressed, including the two-tier pay system for consultants, a commitment to hire 300 additional consultants in 2021, the awarding of consultant contracts to public health specialists and supports to aid GPs when transferring work from acute settings to the community.
Doctors want to work in a system that enables them to deliver care to patients and where they are respected and for many that means going abroad.
Speaking to the Committee today, IMO member Professor Matthew Sadlier said: The Covid-19 emergency has emphasised just how badly our health system needs sustained funding and investment.
"This is not a new problem but the virus has rapidly increased the need for urgent action if our health system is to survive. Our health system is chronically understaffed across all specialities," Mr Sadlier said.
“We presently cannot recruit enough doctors and we cannot keep hold of many of the doctors that we do have. We have seen increasing trends of high emigration by doctors for the past number of years and we can say with some degree of certainty that that trend will continue.
"Doctors will leave to enhance their skills with additional training but unfortunately are not returning to Ireland. Doctors want to work in a system that enables them to deliver care to patients and where they are respected and for many that means going abroad,” he added.
