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27 vacant doctor posts at
Letterkenny
14.02.14
THERE are almost 27
vacant posts for non consultant hospital doctors at
Letterkenny General Hospital, it's been revealed.
The figures show that more than a fifth of
Letterkenny’s doctor positions currently remain
unfilled.
But Donegal T.D., Charlie McConalogue said he was
‘appalled’ at Health Minister James Reilly's
responses to him in the Dáil about the chronic
shortage. |
He said Minister Reilly
said Donegal would have to "live with it" because
there is a shortage of non consultant hospital
doctors (NCHDs) generally and it’s difficult to
attract doctors to "more rural locations" like
Letterkenny.
“This is a disgraceful response from the minister.
To just shrug and tell Donegal to put up with an
unacceptable shortage of frontline health staff is
simply outrageous,” said Deputy McConalogue.
“This is the elected representative charged with
running our health services. |
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Donegal T.D., Charlie McConalogue. |
He has responsibilities
to patients in Donegal, just as he does to the
patients in his own constituency in Dublin. He can’t
just shrug off all responsibility for what’s
happening in Letterkenny.
Deputy McConalogue said Letterkenny hospital is
entitled to 121 full-time equivalent NCHDs but there
are currently 26.5 vacant positions.
He said 14 locum agency staff are being employed to
"pick up some of the slack, but it’s nowhere near
enough".
"This is just an expensive quick-fix that’s simply
not sustainable. The minister’s approach makes no
sense. It costs the HSE far more to hire agency
staff than to recruit full time doctors.
"Whether the solution is a system of rotation, or
recruiting internationally until there are more
doctors available at home, the bottom line is that
we need to see solutions quickly, before lives are
put at risk," added the local deputy. |
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