Government to boost number of medicine and veterinary college places

The Government plans to fund third-level institution places to boost the number of medicine, dentistry and veterinary graduates.

It comes as the Government announced the results of a review that looked at boosting college places for doctors, dentists and vets in an attempt to solve a shortage of services in the coming years.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said this could also help the yearly “scramble” for college places, and give more options to students who feel they do not have a choice but to study abroad.

His department had asked the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to establish how additional capacity might be provided in healthcare and veterinary medicine college places in particular.

The review found that with investment, 750 medicine places could increase to 1,158; 2,000 nurses trained a year could increase to more than 3,000; more than 200 pharmacy places a year could go up to 400; and 60 trained doctors a year could increase to more than 123.

Mr Harris’s department will consider the proposals with the departments of health and agriculture, and assess the options outlined in the review.

Approval of the investment and timing is dependent on the budgetary process and the National Development Plan, ministers said.

Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, Mr Harris said that it could lead to “unprecedented change” in the number of graduates and help address workforce shortages.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said “the ultimate goal” is a doubling of medicine college places across the board, with 60 college places added last year and a further 60 places this September.

“As of now we’ve got about 21,000 more people working in the health service than we did when Covid arrived here,” he said.

“What’s really encouraging in what the HEA have come back with and what the colleges have come back with – they’ve already said that they can double pharmacy places, that they can double dentistry places, and they’re proposing very, very significant increases in nursing and medicine as well.

“Already they’re proposing adding an extra 1,000 nursing places in the country, they’re talking about well over a 50% increase in medicine places as well.

“So this is really, really encouraging to see this.”

When asked whether graduates who benefit from the additional places could end up travelling and living abroad instead of working in Ireland, Mr Donnelly said he encouraged graduates to live abroad.

“I’d encourage people to go abroad, live abroad get a taste for life abroad, work abroad, get international experience – we actively encourage our doctors to do it,” he said.

“I think it’s quite a healthy thing, particularly for a small island nation like ours. The key is that they come home.”

He said the state had to ensure graduates have a positive experience in education, on their placements, and that they are working in an environment where they are valued and respected.

“So no, I don’t have a concern with students graduating, and going to live in Bondi Beach for a year or Vancouver for a year or whatever it is. International experience is good,” he added.

When asked whether the additional places would address shortages of medical professionals in rural areas, Mr Harris said that a proposal from the University of Galway could address the shortage of rural GPs in the north-west.

The four-year Rural and Remote Graduate Entry Medicine would focus on placing year three and year four graduates in GP clinics located in Letterkenny, Sligo, Castlebar and Portiuncula.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that Ireland currently has the largest ever number of vets on the veterinary register at almost 3,400 – up 26% on 2017.

He said that some 65% of vets on the register had been educated overseas in the last number of years, showing “a very clear demand for additional places”.