An advocacy group within the medical profession, the ‘Keep Our Doctors Campaign’ have warned that Wexford General Hospital will lose 4 intern Doctors from its staff, if a proposed HSE plan goes ahead.

Dr Cormac Duff from the ‘Keep Our Doctors’ campaign has said:

“Last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, hundreds of additional intern jobs were created, allowing every graduating doctor the chance to stay and work in Ireland. This year, as the pandemic and resultant health crisis continue, the decision has been made not to offer the additional jobs to the 2021 cohort of interns. As a result of this decision, the vast majority of international graduating doctors will be forced to leave Ireland to work as doctors. Our health service will be left ever more understaffed – and most importantly, our patients will suffer.”

Co.Wexford Independent TD, Verona Murphy has expressed her dismay at this news:

For the last 12 months we have been constantly told that the Covid restrictions are necessary to ensure the HSE can cope, yet we see the HSE planning to cut front-line staff. An example of the HSE speaking from both sides of their mouth.

Prior to Covid we already had an under pressure and under-staffed health system, yet the HSE seem to be planning to cut staff again. This is detrimental to the care of post-surgical inpatients at WGH. The risk that post-operative patient will not receive the care they need is astonishing. 

Citing the recent high pay increases for those at the top of the HSE, Deputy Murphy highlighted how that money could be better allocated:

Every year in the budget we hear of extra millions given to the HSE, but it all appears to disappear into a big black hole of waste. Serious questions need to be asked about how money is spent within the HSE. For example, salary increases for the CEO of the HSE to the tune of €49,966 and a proposed salary increase to the new Secretary General in the Dept of Health of €80,000, would pay for four frontline essential care workers.

Deputy Murphy concluded:

This a slap in the face to the people of Wexford and the entire staff of WGH, who will face a massive increase in their workload because of this measure. Its reprehensible & indefensible. I have engaged with Dr Cormac Duff, and Dr Jennifer Kim, who is one of the interns facing the loss of her position at WGH, and I want to impress upon the people of Wexford that this cannot happen, not just now, but ever.