IMO President Dr Ann Hogan stated that, while Council recommended acceptance and the members voted in favour of the Agreement, there remains serious concerns amongst doctors in relation to the crisis of recruitment and retention of doctors in public health services.
Dr Hogan said: “It is up to Government now to make good on its commitments within the Agreement to seriously address and implement policies that will stem the tide of emigration amongst the medical profession and create instead an environment where our young doctors see their future careers in Ireland and can be assured of equity in terms of pay and conditions along with realistic career progression.
“Even since the negotiations on this agreement the lack of planning in relation to medical manpower has been exposed by our over reliance on locums in our services and the scandalous situation where we have almost 400 vacant consultant posts. It is imperative that the recruitment and retention process as discussed with the IMO is commenced immediately.”
