Irish doctors are increasingly trained abroad

Each year, the Irish medical system is becoming more globalised. The last Medical Workforce Report by the Medical Council shows that in 2014, 35.7% of doctors registered in the Medical Council graduated from a medical school outside Ireland; this compares with 34.3% in 2013.

The report continues by stating that Ireland’s “reliance on international medical graduates is among the highest compared with other OECD countries”. The five leading countries of qualification for doctors who qualified abroad were Pakistan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Sudan and India.

Overall, the number of doctors registered with the Medical Council has reached an all-time high of over 19,000, but Ireland is still one of the OECD countries with a lower medical practitioner density, accounting 361.7 doctors per 100,000 people.