Medical consultants and pay

Sir, – The revelation that a consultant was paid more than €640,000 last year (News, July 6th) while astonishing, is not surprising

The fact that the individual “carries out a significant amount of locum cover” is a damning indictment on the Health Service Executive’s inability to adequately staff the hospital system with enough consultants.

That this situation has been allowed to persist for so many years doesn’t appear to worry them. Just keep making crazy payments to locum consultants seems to be the extent of the manpower planning.

– Yours, etc,

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TADHG McCARTHY,

Bray, Co Wicklow.

Sir, – Funny how we don’t bat an eyelid when business leaders are paid salaries in the millions of euros, but the salary of medical consultants, who save people’s lives and health every day, is front-page news. – Yours, etc,

SHEILA DEEGAN,

Dublin 3.