Sir - Dr Paul McCormick (July 3rd) infers that I stated in a recent Morning Ireland interview that "tradition" is the primary reason why Irish junior doctors leave this country. The transcript of my interview shows that, in reply to a question on to why Irish junior doctors go abroad in such large numbers, I stated:
"It is partly by tradition and also has to do with working conditions and to gain experience. A significant number of Irish doctors go abroad because the working conditions in the UK, mainland Europe and North America are more attractive then they are here. They go abroad for the very good reason of gaining experience and coming back here as consultants in later life."
It is not correct to claim that I "mentioned" poor working conditions. As the transcript shows, I placed equal emphasis on better working conditions and on a wider range of experience abroad than is available here.
The long tradition of going abroad for medical training and experience has served Irish medicine well. At a time when professionals in many other walks of life in Ireland have realised that business, industry and the Irish economy in general can benefit enormously through importing world-class standards of production, it would seem retrograde to decide that Irish medicine should become an inward-looking backwater. Certainly, the working conditions and career paths of junior doctors at home need to be vastly improved. But their right to seek training and experience in centres of excellence in the UK, Europe and North America must always be upheld.
In our efforts to improve Irish hospital medicine, let us not disregard all that is good in the current system which, despite its many faults, is of a standard comparable with the best internationally - Yours, etc.,
Finbarr Fitzpatrick, Irish Hospital Consultants' Association, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14.