More than 130 posts for hospital doctors are still unfilled this morning, many in anaesthetics and some in accident and emergency departments.
In an attempt to alleviate the shortages, the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, met the Medical Council yesterday to discuss ways to "fast-track" the accreditation of more doctors - already in the State or in the UK - to enable them to start work here as quickly as is feasible.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association yesterday praised Mr Martin's initiative as "potentially enormously beneficial", but said it would be about 72 hours before its effects are clear.
The Minister said yesterday that the meeting with the Medical Council was "very positive" and that there would be closer communication between his Department and the council in future.
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland has warned that a wide range of services will be affected in hospitals which are unable to fill all their posts for anaesthetists.
The association's Irish Standing Committee has said it will "fully support individual anaesthetists who are required by this manpower crisis to curtail anaesthetic services in order to maintain high standards of patient care."
In all, 134 posts were still vacant last night. At yesterday's meeting between the Minister and the Medical Council, several "fast-tracking" measures were agreed to help deal with the crisis, according to officials at the Department of Health and Children.
Non-EU doctors coming here from training in the UK will be able to take up work and have their accreditation established within three months - instead of having to establish their accreditation first.
About 25 to 30 non-EU doctors who left the register after completing training in the past six months or so will be able to go to work and sort out their accreditation afterwards.
And non-EU doctors completing their five years' training will be allowed to go on working for two years more without interruption.
Hospitals are also being urged to find ways to surmount their difficulties at local level. This could include sharing staff where this is feasible, the Minister said yesterday.
The shortages take particular effect outside the main cities, although city hospitals have some shortages. Irish doctors tend to want to work in the cities, leaving other hospitals reliant on non-EU doctors, one anaesthetist said.
Hospitals outside the capital are particularly affected by the need for anaesthetists to accompany critically-ill patients being brought to Dublin hospitals.
One anaesthetist said an immediate improvement could be brought about by introducing a helicopter service, which would send a doctor and nurse to collect patients who need to be transferred to Dublin, allowing the anaesthetist to stay in his or her own hospital.
A delegation led by a Co Mayo-based GP, Dr Jerry Cowley, is to meet the Minister next month to press for such a service.
pomorain@irish-times.ie