Hundreds of Irish junior doctors threaten to emigrate

Irish Health Minister James Reilly has received a unique form of protest from more than 800 junior doctors in the form of symbolic boarding cards.

It’s a novel way of warning the government that unless action is taken on salary cuts for newly-appointed consultants and other grievances there will be mass migration, but it seems the doctors are deadly serious. The campaign has been organised by the doctors’ union, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), formerly headed up by Dr Reilly before his foray into politics.

Long working weeks and a lack of standards in hospital training are further complaints in a long list, with many young doctors already heading for Australia or the UK. Better pay and working conditions are being offered, especially by Australian hospitals, with medical professionals high on the Oz immigration skills list.

Dr Mark Murphy, chair of the IMO’s NCHD Committee responsible for junior doctors, states that the NHCD grade in Irish hospitals is at a crossroads. He shares his colleagues’ concerns that an agenda is in existence to portray medical professionals as motivated by financial greed rather than patient care.

IMO president Dr Paul McKeown agrees that skilled, talented young doctors are are apprehensive about the future of medical care in the country, adding that the government is backing a policy which may result in the mass migration of the brightest and best in the field. Dr McKeown has no doubt that the health service will suffer in the long term if recent government decisions are not reversed.