Madam, – I was not surprised to read the article (HEALTHplus, June 7th) regarding the anticipated shortage of junior doctors in the health service next month.
It is somewhat disappointing to hear that the HSE sent a delegation to India and Pakistan to recruit staff. As a junior doctor, I will be one of at least 25 of my medical class who are going to Australia to work for a year. None of us have been on the receiving end of any such recruitment drive here by the HSE. The manpower managers seem to be more concerned with difficulties in relation to registering new recruits than they are with the exodus of junior doctors from this country.
Perhaps the HSE should focus their efforts closer to home and try to encourage junior doctors, whose education the government has funded at significant cost, to stay and work in Ireland, or at least provide some incentive for us to return?
– Yours, etc,