A devolved Assembly must opt out of controversial health service recruitment procedures for junior doctors, the Alliance Party has urged.
Party leader David Ford said the new Medical training Application Service (MTAS) system could trigger a “brain drain” of junior doctors away from the Province.
The Government measures to streamline the training junior doctors undergo to become spe
cialists has created an unprecedented bottleneck of applications for jobs.
Throughout the UK, 32,000 junior doctors will be applying for just 23,000 vacancies this year.
In Northern Ireland it’s predicted up to 400 junior doctors could face unemployment as a result of MTAS.
In 2005, the Department of Health changed the required training period needed to become a specialist from 14 years to 11 years.
But problems have arisen because many junior doctors continue to be trained through the old system while other, more recent graduates embarked on the streamlined one.
In simple terms, that means far more doctors are reaching the same stage of training at the same time... hence the bottleneck in applications.
Last week, doctors meeting at the City Hospital to discuss MTAS described it as a potential “disaster” for the local healthcare system and for professionals.
Now, Mr Ford says it’s vital that Northern Ireland opts out of the system to prevent a flight of junior doctors overseas.
He said he has gained assurance that the Assembly will have the option to opt out.
“I am glad to see that the Assembly can now act to give new local doctors a fair deal. I now wish to challenge the other parties to commit to opting out of this system and making recruitment procedures fairer.
“I have therefore written to the new Minister Designate, demanding that the powers available under devolution are immediately used to safeguard our services and our doctors’ careers.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health was last night unavailable for comment.
