Hundreds of doctors and nurses sign up to rejoin HSE
MORE than 600 doctors, nurses and midwives have rejoined the medical register following appeals for as many healthcare staff as possible to pitch in to fight the coronavirus.
Yesterday, the Irish Medical Council (IMC) said 121 doctors had re-joined the register, and this is on top of those who returned to practice after leaving the profession but who kept up their registration.
And in other good news, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) said on Wednesday that it had successfully registered more than 500 nurses and midwives in the last week.
Like the IMBC, the NMBI said it is waiving the re-registration fee.
According to the NMBI, there are more than 77,000 nurses and midwives on its register, with 42,000 working for the HSE and a further 15,000 employed in the
‘Heartened by the huge response’
private healthcare sector.
The influx in re-registrations came following last week’s launch of the Be On Call For Ireland campaign by the HSE, aimed at getting former healthcare staff to rejoin the medical service.
Of the 121 doctors who re-registered, 55% are medics returning to Ireland while 45% are retired doctors who have decided to go back to work to help.
The president of the IMC, Dr Rita Doyle, said that the country’s health system and staff will come under ‘unprecedented pressure’ and that these doctors are ‘stepping forward to answer Ireland’s call for help’.
‘I am heartened to see the huge response from colleagues who are coming out of retirement, returning to medical practice or returning home to Ireland in response to the challenges our country face with the COVID-19 pandemic,’ said Dr Doyle.
She added: ‘The Medical Council is here to support doctors to get back onto the medical register for the purposes of responding to the pressures brought to our health service by Covid-19.’
The chief executive of the IMC, Bill Prasifka, said the organisation’s teams are working ‘around the clock’ to register doctors.
He added that in the coming weeks, they will begin to register more than 1,000 new doctors for the first time to the intern division of the register, as final-year medical students complete their exams and qualify.
Interviews for those who responded to the HSE’s call began over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health
Simon Harris has confirmed that student nurses will be paid for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis.
All student nurses and midwives will be offered a contract as a healthcare assistant (HCA) and be paid accordingly.
This will allow students to complete their placement in a
HCA role and continue to complete the course.
Minister Harris said: ‘I want to thank our student nurses and midwives for the brilliant work they are doing in this difficult time. We need all hands on deck through this challenging period.
‘This is an offer and not an obligation. But I know so many of our student nurses want to play their role as we navigate our way through these difficult times.
‘Our healthcare professionals have shown immense leadership and I will do everything I can to support them.’
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has welcomed the introduction of payment for student nurses.
INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said: ‘This is a really welcome step from the Government.
‘It’s good news for the student nurses, who will now be paid for their work on the frontlines.
‘It’s also good news for the wider health service. These are dedicated, talented, hard-working people who are keen to help in the global fight against Covid-19.
‘Taking them on as paid staff not only values their work, but offers them clear protections as employees.’
She added: ‘We will now engage with the Government to determine the detail of this announcement, particularly on ensuring that students’ academic progression isn’t harmed by the crisis.’
Student nurses will be asked to apply online by visiting HSE.ie/oncall.
The Covid-19 recruitment drive asks healthcare professionals from all disciplines who are not already working in the public health service to register to be on call for Ireland.
‘This is a really welcome step’