Tánaiste Micheál Martin has refuted allegations of a supposed “recruitment freeze” within the healthcare industry, stating that Ireland ranks second in Europe in terms of the number of nurses employed per one hundred thousand citizens, with Finland taking the top spot.
He further clarified that nursing staff were not affected by the “recruitment standstill”, with 3,068 hired since May 2023 and an overall increase of 28,500 healthcare employees since the onset of 2020.
Addressing the Dáil on Thursday, Mr Martin noted a considerable escalation in health expenditure during the initial quarters of the current year, attributing this surge to the budget.
“Even before the budget’s projected figures, we’ve seen significant augmentation in health spending, with an additional €7.5 billion allocated to the healthcare system over the past four years,” he said.
The notable increase also includes the recruitment of 4,200 healthcare professionals, and over 3,000 doctors and dentists. According to the Tánaiste, the growth of spending continues, particularly in acute and trauma services.
Furthermore, the Department of Health announced on Wednesday that the spending on health exceeded the budget by over €500 million during the first four months of the year, with around 75% spent in the acute hospital sector.
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson, Pearse Doherty, counter-argued that despite healthcare professionals applying and attending interviews, they were later informed that positions were unavailable due to the recruitment freeze.
He spotlighted the case of a speech and language therapist who was offered a “dream job”, only for it to be retracted due to staffing constraints. Doherty criticised the Government for not yet endorsing the 2024 workforce plan five months into the new year, and cited an INMO survey indicating that 70% of members were worried about patient safety because of insufficient staff.
The Tánaiste rejected the notion completely, emphasising the need to prioritise deployment and results. Mr Doherty indicated that in the previous month, about 63 per cent contemplated quitting their jobs, and one-fifth had sought their personal doctors due to stress. He further noted that this situation resulted in a significant number of young clinicians leaving the country even though their presence was essential. The health staff dilemma was further magnified as they were going through interviews, only to be informed of a recruitment freeze at the end. The TD from Donegal mentioned that this embargo had prevented individuals living overseas from returning home, thereby exacerbating an already bad situation.