Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2025
363. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the number of Ukrainian doctors who are now registered to practice in Ireland; the process to achieve registration; and to provide data on the types of registration awarded. [49482/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAny qualified doctors wishing to practise medicine in Ireland are required to first register with the Medical Council, and the Council is obliged to ensure that all doctors it registers meet the necessary standards to practise medicine here.
Officials from my Department, the HSE and the Medical Council have been actively supporting doctors fleeing the war in Ukraine to gain registration and take up employment in Ireland. These supports have included funding to cover the cost of the PRES exams, specialist English language training, online access to Continuing Professional Development resources while registration is pending and access to HSE training materials.
Doctors from Ukraine, depending on their qualifications and experience, may apply for registration in the General, Specialist, or Supervised Division. Doctors can seek registration in the General Division via the PRES route. To gain full registration, doctors must pass both a computer exam (known as the PRES 2) and a clinical skills exam (known as the PRES 3). Alternatively, doctors can seek Specialist Registration which entails an evaluation of their training and experience.
There are now 45 Ukrainian doctors on the Medical Council register having passed the PRES 3 exam.
