There has been a marked increase in the number highly-trained Irish and Filipino nurses being recruited by hospitals in Australia, Britain and America, according to the Irish Nurses Organisation.
Mr Liam Doran, General Secretary of the INO, said the extreme workload facing nurses in the Irish health service and the attractive pay and conditions being offered in Australia, America and in Britain were contributing to rising numbers of nurses leaving the system.
This was particularly the case among the 4,000 Filipino nurses recruited by Irish hospitals to ease a severe nursing shortage. With the first of these 2-year contracts coming to an end, Mr Doran said recruiters were targetting Filipino nurses working in Ireland.
After two years clinical experience in Irish hospitals these Filipino nurses are highly attractive to hospital recruiters worldwide, Mr Doran said.
The costs associated with living in the capital and complaints over the handling of contracts, the lack of permanent posts and problems over work visas have contributed to the growing exodus.
The nursing regulatory body, An Bord Altranais received 1,493 requests for verification statements for nurses currently working in the State from regulatory authorities, particularly in Australia, Britain and America this year.
This figure is almost double the 860 requests made in 1999.
Mr Doran stressed that major improvements have been made in nursing training and development programmes. "The fact remains that there are now 1,017 declared nursing vacancies and every day some 473 nursing 'shifts' are filled by full-times nurses doing overtime," said Mr Doran.
Irish hospitals are not offering competitive rates of pay, Mr Doran added, saying a US hospital recruiting in Ireland was offering $50,000 and some expenses. This compares with €23,000 on offer for a full-trained nurse working in the State.
In the last few weeks the Royal Victoria Hospital in Adelaide has offered posts to 34 Filipino nurses who are working at the Beaumont and Mater hospitals.
The Epworth Hospital in Victoria, Australia recently recruited another 50 nurses from the Philippines who had planned to come and work in Ireland.
Nursing unions believe part of Australia's attraction is that workers can apply for residency after two years.
