Sir, – It's hard to see what is achieved by sensationalist headlines about medical consultants' pay (News, July 6th).
In Ireland we now have over 700 unfilled consultant posts. Meanwhile Irish doctors and nurses have been choosing to move to Australia, Canada and New Zealand in large numbers for a number of years.
Responsibility for this situation resides ultimately with health service management and it is the patients and indeed the remaining overworked consultants who bear the consequences of this.
Despite presiding over a health service that seemingly cannot attract consultants, we have recently given huge pay increases to both the HSE director general and the role of Department of Health secretary general. However there is little to indicate that the shortage in consultant numbers is being, or will be, addressed.
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A poorly managed and badly run health service will not attract staff. The consequences of this is that the remaining staff end up having to work ridiculous hours.
Sensationalist articles about pay for those ridiculous hours without examining the reason why those hours are necessary serves nobody’s interests.
– Yours, etc,
RUARY MARTIN,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.