The HSE CEO has acknowledged to the Medical Independent (MI) the importance of induction for international doctors entering the Irish health service.
Preliminary research discussed at the IMO AGM in April found that 45 per cent of international medical graduates reported inadequate induction or orientation upon starting work in an Irish hospital.
The research was presented by Dr Alina Fatima, SHO in Psychiatry, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, during a session on the lived experience of international doctors in Ireland. The study, which is ongoing, is a national online survey exploring the experiences of international NCHDs, conducted by Dr Fatima in collaboration with Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry Prof Matthew Sadlier.
Speaking to MI at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Annual Delegate Conference last month, HSE CEO Ms Anne O’Connor said “it can be very challenging for people to come and work in our system”. She added: “And we are always trying to improve how people come in, how we induct them, and how we can make their working life and career in the HSE as smooth as possible.”
She said improving the induction process is a key focus of HSE National Doctors Training and Planning.
The General Secretary of the Indian Irish Medical Association (IIMA), Dr Pramod Kumar Agarwal, recently told MI it can be a “shock” for doctors from India entering the Irish system due to cultural differences and variations in how healthcare is organised between the two countries.
Dr Agarwal, who is a GP based in Lucan, Co Dublin, said that structured induction programmes for Indian doctors are currently “lacking”. He told MI that such programmes would assist in the integration and retention of Indian doctors in the Irish health service.
The IIMA was recently established to support doctors from India working in Ireland.
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