Hundreds more doctors from India could be attracted to work in Ireland if barriers to their recruitment were addressed by the medical authorities here, according to a Wexford-based GP who is establishing an organisation to represent those already in the system.
Dr George Leslie Thomas Prekattil, originally from Kerala in India, said he had been in contact with many doctors who would like to come here but were deterred by issues regarding the scheduling of exams and delays with registration.
The Irish Medical Council had engaged “very positively” on the issues in recent weeks, the Enniscorthy-based GP said. “I really appreciate the efforts of the Medical Council. It has shown a real commitment to addressing some of the challenges faced by doctors and we are hoping for more discussions that will lead to improvements.
“There are two primary concerns… significant delays in the eligibility assessment and registration processes, and, secondly, the scheduling of exams is unclear, making it difficult for many doctors to plan their futures in Ireland.”
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At present, there are just over 300 doctors who gained their qualification in India working in Ireland, a fraction of the 1,850 from Pakistan or 1,060 from Sudan.
The key difference is that the internships already served by doctors coming from Sudan and Pakistan, and six other countries, are recognised as qualifying them to work in Ireland, whereas those undertaken by doctors in India are not and so most have to pass additional exams here.
According to the Medical Council, an adjudication group it established “reviewed the information provided by the Medical Council of India in relation to the internship programme from India on two separate occasions”.
“On both occasions, a range of differences between the Indian intern programme and the Medical Council’s standards for internship training were identified and the council endorsed the adjudication group’s expert view that there was insufficient basis upon which an internship in India could be considered equivalent to an Irish internship.”
The Medical Council suggests it does not see this situation changing in the near future.
Despite this, Dr Prekattil said the hope was that there could be further engagement involving the new Indian Doctors Association, Ireland “so we can thoroughly explain our concerns and provide the Medical Council with a better understanding of the current medical education programmes in India. This would be beneficial for both sides.”
On the wider issues, he is calling on the council to “expedite responses and minimise delays in documentation, registration processes and exam scheduling. Supporting candidates by streamlining these processes and welcoming them for registration will greatly assist them in starting their practice in Ireland. It would greatly help doctors in India who want to work in Ireland.”
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