Why are Ukrainian doctors struggling to find work in Ireland?

When Viktoria Sinelnik arrived in Dublin, on March 22nd, she was feeling optimistic about the future. Despite enduring nearly a month of violent bombardments in her home country, the 28-year-old doctor was hopeful about her new start in Ireland. “I knew that doctors were in high demand in Ireland, due to the shortage of staff and Irish doctors leave Ireland constantly, so I thought my profession would be in high demand,” Sinelnik told the In the News podcast.

Sinelnik is just one of more than 200 Ukrainian doctors who have recently arrived in Ireland and who are now looking to work in Irish healthcare. They are being supported by Nicholas Stefanovic , a doctor at St James’s Hospital in Dublin, who is acting as a liaison between the group and the HSE. However, they are facing multiple barriers to returning to work in their area of expertise – barriers that aren’t present in other EU countries.

Stefanovic is worried the Irish health system could lose much-sought-after medical skills to other EU countries unless the process of recognising their credentials is simplified. “Ireland has been absolutely phenomenal in other ways with regards to providing accommodation, social supports, medical cards, providing a very comprehensive package for migrants from a war torn country very quickly,” he told the podcast. “But as the situation becomes more protracted you do need to balance the benefits of have having that particular package versus the struggles they face with continuous unemployment. Employment would offer stability and offer someone the opportunity to pay for their own housing and their own childcare.”

Today on In the News, why are Ukrainian doctors struggling to find work in Ireland?