Extra 90 medical training posts mooted

More than 90 non-consultant hospital doctor (NCHD) medical service jobs around the country are to be converted to training posts.

The finer details of the agreement are not yet worked out but it is expected that the new training posts are to be created mainly in Basic Specialist Training (BST), and about 10 positions to be created at Higher Specialist Training (HST) level under the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI).

The new training posts are to be created in areas such as general medicine, infectious diseases, occupational medicine, public health, clinical microbiology and paediatrics.

There are currently 1,450 doctors training on RCPI’s specialist medical training programmes at various levels.

The changeover does not increase the number of NCHDs but does convert the medical posts to training positions.

The College has welcomed the increase of over 20 per cent in training posts.

The announcement has also been welcomed by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and was described as “a first step” by Industrial Relations Officer, Paul Maier. The trade union had been advocating for change for many years with over half NCHDs employed in this country working in non-training service jobs at present.

Both the RCSI and the IMO underlined the need for the doctors who had returned to Ireland to find training and employment.

“It is also a priority that these posts will be created in hospitals across Ireland to support patient care requirements in hospitals in all of the regions,” said Prof Mary Horgan, President of the RCPI.

Dr Terry McWade, CEO of the RCPI, added that the agreement meant that more doctors working in the health service would have the opportunity to train as specialists as part of a structured training programme in Ireland.

“It means that we will have more doctors trained to a higher recognised standard in the health service. It also means there will be more highly qualified specialists in key areas such as public health medicine, occupational medicine, infectious diseases and clinical microbiology – specialties which we know are all are crucial in the response to the pandemic.”

valerie.ryan@imt.ie