One in five doctors on the Irish register were working abroad or not practising last year, according to new data from the regulator.
A report from the Medical Council, published on Friday, showed that in 2024, 26,591 doctors retained their place on its register. Of those, 21 per cent (5,628) were either practising medicine abroad only (4,160) or not actively practising medicine (1,468).
Of those who worked abroad, the mean age was 43.7 years, with a slight majority being between 35 and 44 (28.5 per cent). Just over two-thirds were men (67.8 per cent).
Just under one in five of that cohort had an Irish qualification, while 23 per cent qualified in the European Union or UK and 58 per cent had international qualifications from outside of Ireland, the EU and UK.
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The majority of Irish graduates were working in Australia at 30 per cent or the UK at 24 per cent, while the majority of graduates from the EU and UK were working in the UK. The majority of international graduates were working in Pakistan (26 per cent) or the UK (18 per cent).
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For those doctors who were not clinically active, the average age was 45 and almost two-thirds were women. Most were general medicine clinicians.
Almost half of these doctors obtained their qualification in Ireland, and from those who had an international qualification, the majority obtained their primary medical degree in Pakistan.
Dr Maria O’Kane, chief executive of the Medical Council, said the report highlighted “priority areas for supporting and retaining doctors in Ireland”.
“A shortage of doctors impacts not only on patient safety, but the wellbeing of doctors in their day-to-day work. Continued investment in training, recruitment, and health system resourcing is essential,” she said.
According to the council, applications to be restored to the Irish register now take less than two weeks.
Dr Suzanne Crowe, president of the Medical Council, said it was important to understand what motivated someone to renew their registration yet opt to travel and work overseas.
“Irish doctors have long travelled abroad for experience and training ... but we want to see them coming home,” she said.
