Hospitals that do not uphold the “spirit” of the International Medical Graduate Training Initiative (IMGTI) risk losing their future allocation of trainees.
A meeting of the IMGTI operational committee heard that an annual communication is sent to medical manpower managers advising of the programme rules. These include the requirement for doctors who have completed the two-year IMGTI scholarship programme to return to their home country for a minimum of 12 months.
“It was noted that this year, this communication will also advise that any site who does not uphold the spirit of IMGTI, jeopardise the future allocation of trainees to their site and the integrity of the programme,” according to minutes of the meeting in January 2025.
The same meeting also heard of an increase in former IMGTI trainees applying to Irish training programmes.
“While the majority of doctors who complete the IMGTI scholarship two-year programme return to their home country for a minimum of 12 months, TBs [training bodies] need to ensure that those who apply to domestic training programmes meet the application criteria. It was noted that the IMG[TI] is not equivalent to BST [basic specialist training].”
A HSE spokesperson told the Medical Independent: “Trainees participating in the IMGTI scholarship programme are required to return to their home country for a minimum of one year upon completion of their 24-month training in Ireland. The HSE, in collaboration with postgraduate training bodies and host clinical sites, works closely to ensure that all stakeholders involved in the initiative comply with the agreed terms of the programme.
“Retention data on IMGTI participants is outlined in the Annual Medical Retention Report 2023. It confirms that the vast majority of IMGTI doctors return to their country of origin following completion of their training in Ireland, as per the initiative’s objectives. While a small proportion of participants return to Ireland in the years following completion of their training, among those who do, most remain for just one or two years.”
The spokesperson added: “The HSE is not aware of any formal policy by the postgraduate training bodies that automatically recognises completion of the IMGTI scholarship programme as equivalent to BST.”
The terms of the IMGTI are designed to comply with the World Health Organsiation code of practice on international recruitment of health personnel.
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