Statement from IHCA re: OECD report
Statement from IHCA re: OECD report
Commenting on the recent OECD report, Dr Gerard Crotty, President of the IHCA, said:
The OECD Health Statistics 2014 report is misleading in so far as it does not provide an accurate like for like comparison and it underestimates the salaries paid to Consultants in other countries. The report does not include Consultant salary information for the primary English speaking countries to which Irish doctors and Consultants emigrate including Australia, Canada and the US.
Ireland is not competitive in recruiting and retaining Consultants because the terms and conditions, including salaries, are not competitive with other English speaking countries. In addition, new Consultants appointed since October 2012 are being offered salaries which have been cut by a further 30% in breach of the Croke Park Agreement.
Consultants in the UK earn on average well in excess of the £78,274 Pounds Sterling quoted in the report, as they can earn up to €220,000 from their public hospital appointments (consisting of basic salary, increments and merit awards). In addition, they are automatically paid overtime that can add up to 20% to 30% to their earnings unlike in Ireland.
The salaries paid to Consultants in other countries are underestimated, for example, because trainees have been included in the calculations in Germany and the UK; GPs have been included in Germany and generalists have been included in France.
The HSE has confirmed that about 20% of approved Consultant posts are either vacant or filled on a temporary basis through agencies at a much higher cost than permanent Consultant salaries. An increasing number of advertised Consultant posts remain vacant because of the disproportionate cuts in their salaries as more and more of our highly trained doctors and Consultants are taking up posts abroad. The recently published MacCraith Report acknowledges that the 30% salary cut for new Consultants is a major barrier to filling vacant Consultants posts and it must be reversed as consistently outlined by the IHCA since 2012.
ENDS
For further information contact:
James Dunny, FleishmanHillard 086 388 3903