The North Western Health Board wants German medical schools to send doctors to Letterkenny and Sligo as part of their training. The move is being explored in response to difficulties in filling training posts in some areas such as anaesthetics.
Earlier this year, Sligo General Hospital had to limit its epidural service for women in labour because of unfilled posts. Sligo has resumed a 24-hour service but Letterkenny General Hospital is unable to guarantee epidurals at all times, though a health board spokeswoman says it attempts to meet all requests. "We have been recruiting doctors in Germany," she says. "There's an excess there in terms of doctors."
The board is now looking at the possibility of making a formal link with a medical school so that its trainee doctors would be rotated to hospitals serving Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo.
The NWHB has already recruited two German doctors for Letterkenny.
A brief survey of health boards and hospitals shows that nurse and doctor shortages are spread unevenly around the State and even within particular geographic areas. In the north-east, for instance, Louth/Meath Hospital Group has had to close a ward but the Cavan/Monaghan Hospital Group has not. Similarly, in Dublin, the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street (which does a considerable amount of gynaecological surgery) has had to cancel elective surgery but the Coombe Women's Hospital has been able to maintain services.
The reasons for differences like this will be among the factors to be addressed by the Minister for Health and Children, al Mr Martin, as he addresses the staffing crisis in the run-up to the winter.
East: Some transfers to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Dublin have been delayed due to nursing shortages which have also affected surgery. Coombe Women's Hospital has kept services running at their normal level. The National Maternity Hospital has cancelled elective surgery until the end of October because of nursing shortages. St James's Hospital says it has had no cancellations or bed closures and does not expect any. Surgeons at Beaumont Hospital take it in turns to cancel surgery because of nurse shortages and bed closures.
Midlands: A small number of vacancies in Tullamore (orthopaedic), none in Portlaoise General and a small number in Mullingar General. No surgery cancelled or wards closed.
Northeast: Louth/Meath Hospital Group has one ward closed due to nurse shortages. No closures or cancellations in the Cavan/Monaghan Hospital Group.
South: Cork University Hospital has cancelled a limited number of surgical procedures but no ward closures. St Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Cork, closed one ward for August and deployed nurses elsewhere to cover shortages. No bed closures or cancellations at Tralee General Hospital.
Southeast: No epidurals for women in labour at St Luke's, Kilkenny, between midnight and 8 a.m. Other hospitals unaffected though the region is short six junior doctors.
West: Some doctor vacancies but no wards closed or surgery cancelled.