Calls to remove registration barriers for Indian doctors

There are fresh calls to remove administrative barriers for Indian doctors who wish to register to work in Ireland.

The issue is being highlighted at the first conference of the Indian Irish Medical Association (IIMA).

Mr Tej Tiwari, a consultant surgeon at Beaumont Hospital and President of the IIMA, said there are currently around 300 Indian doctors in Ireland.

“For Indian doctors, registration is a tedious process. Most of the interns from Indian hospitals are not recognised here. They can’t register because their internship is not recognised,” he said.

“It is very difficult for them to get registered with the Medical Council and then to work.”

Mr Tiwari said that if the barrier existed for every country, that would be fine, but if it is limited to Indian doctors, then they want to overcome that barrier.

“We will work with the authorities concerned,” he said.

The call was echoed by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), whose President described the restriction as a “disgrace”.

Professor Matthew Sadlier said the IMO had been campaigning on the issue since 2008.

He said it was a “simple legislative problem around the definition of the word ‘intern'”.

“The doctors from universities in India are as competent and excellent as doctors from other universities in the world. The fact of how they define their final year of practice, not using the word internship, which in other territories they do use the word internship, has led to doctors in India having a much harder ability to register to work in Ireland,” he said.

Prof Sadlier said that the IMO was calling on the Government to have an urgent meeting with the IIMA and the IMO to see if the problem could be resolved.

He said that that about half of the medical workforce in Ireland is made up of international medical graduates and that they are essential to the provision of medical services in this country.

Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers delivered the inaugural address at the conference held in Enfield, Co Meath today.

He said that the Indian community plays an important role in our health system.

Minister Chambers said the Indian population in Ireland was about 100,000 people.

“They are at the frontline of our health systems everyday. Today is about valuing their contributions, in the context of medicine and health care, and enhancing their contribution in shaping health policy.”