Verona Murphy
Ceist:422. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Health the length of time the Medical Council registration process takes from application to decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37364/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 24 September 2024
Ceisteanna (422, 423)
Verona Murphy
Ceist:423. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors' applications that are currently within the Medical Council system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37365/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Medical Council is the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland and it has a responsibility to ensure that all doctors registered to practise medicine here meet the requirements to practise, as set out in its legislation. The Medical Council has witnessed notable growth in its register over the past five years, driven by a significant increase in applications, as outlined in the table below:
|
Year |
Number of Doctors Registered |
|
2020 |
24,720 |
|
2021 |
25,953 |
|
2022 |
27,520 |
|
2023 |
29,488 |
|
2024 |
30,807 (as of September 2024) |
This year, the Medical Council has seen a 34% increase in applications, alongside an average 8% reduction in processing times, reflecting the Medical Council’s ongoing efforts to improve efficiency.
The table below outlines the number of open applications that are currently within the Medical Council system and the registration processing time for the various categories of application. The total “open” applications includes all first-time applications in the system which are either; awaiting assessment, are currently under assessment, or have had eligibility granted but have not yet activated registration.
Doctors are made “eligible” once a full assessment of their application has been conducted and it has been established that they meet the necessary requirements for registration. However, many doctors will not activate their registration immediately for a variety of reasons. It is important to note that these doctors remain eligible and their application remains “open” whether they decide to activate their registration or not.
The Deputy should also note that the Medical Council prioritises applications for doctors who have been offered a job with the HSE and operates a “fast-track” registration route for these applicants. These applications are processed in approximately 1 to 2 weeks and many of these are in the “General Non-EU COE” category, referenced in the table below.
|
Registration Category |
Processing Timeframe (weeks) |
Number of Open Applications |
|
EU / UK General(where an applicant’s qualifications entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive 2005/36/EC) |
10.5 |
712 |
|
EU / UK Specialist(where an applicant’s qualifications entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive 2005/36/EC) |
10.5 |
528 |
|
Cat E Specialist(Doctors seeking registration in the Specialist Division, whose qualifications do not entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive, can apply via the Category E route) |
19.5 |
113 |
|
General Non-EU COE (Doctors whose qualifications do not entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive, and who have undertaken an internship which the Council recognises to be the equivalent of an Irish internship) |
45.5 |
4,201 |
|
General Non-EU HQ(Doctors whose qualifications do not entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive, and who hold a higher qualification which is recognised by the Council for the purpose of granting an exemption) |
25 |
510 |
|
General Non-EU PRES(Doctors whose qualifications do not entitle them to automatic recognition under the EU Directive must pass or be exempt from the pre-registration exam, the PRES, if applying for General registration) |
19 |
400 |
|
Supervised(doctors who have been offered a post that has been approved by the HSE which has specific supervisory arrangements) |
4-8 |
43 |
|
Restorals |
6.5 |
n/a |
|
Total |
6,507 |