Abstract
BackgroundSince the 2008 recession, Ireland has experienced large-scale doctor emigration. This paper seeks to ascertain whether (and how) the COVID-19 pandemic might disrupt or reinforce existing patterns of doctor emigration.MethodThis paper draws on qualitative interviews with 31 hospital doctors in Ireland, undertaken in June–July 2020. As the researchers were subject to a government mandated work-from-home order at that time, they utilised Twitter™ to contact potential respondents (snowball sampling); and conducted interviews via Zoom™ or telephone.FindingsTwo cohorts of doctors were identified; COVID Returners (N = 12) and COVID Would-be Emigrants (N = 19). COVID Returners are Irish-trained emigrant doctors who returned to Ireland in March 2020, just as global travel ground to a halt. They returned to be closer to home and in response to a pandemic-related recruitment call issued by the Irish government. COVID Would-be Emigrants are hospital doctors considering emigration. Some had experienced pandemic-related disruptions to their emigration plans as a result of travel restrictions and border closures. However, most of the drivers of emigration mentioned by respondents related to underlying problems in the Irish health system rather than to the pandemic, i.e. a culture of medical emigration, poor working conditions and the limited availability of posts in the Irish health system.Discussion/conclusionThis paper illustrates how the pandemic intensified and reinforced, rather than radically altered, the dynamics of doctor emigration from Ireland. Ireland must begin to prioritise doctor retention and return by developing a coherent policy response to the underlying drivers of doctor emigration.
Highlights
The Irish health system and the COVID‐19 pandemic Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Irish health system was beginning to recover from historic underfunding [1] which had been compounded by austerity-related health cuts during 2008–14 [2]
COVID Returners are Irish-trained emigrant doctors who returned to Ireland in March 2020, just as global travel ground to a halt
Drawing on qualitative interviews with 31 hospital doctors who worked in Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic, this paper explores some of the ways in which the pandemic is influencing doctor migration
Summary
The Irish health system and the COVID‐19 pandemic Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (the pandemic), the Irish health system was beginning to recover from historic underfunding [1] which had been compounded by austerity-related health cuts during 2008–14 [2]. ‘few countries in Europe were as exposed to a COVID19 surge potentially overwhelming the hospital system as Ireland’ [3]. The Irish health system has 5 ICU beds per 100,000 population in comparison to the EU-15, average of 7.6/100,000; Irish hospitals operate at 95% capacity compared to the EU-15, average of 76% [3]. The pandemic required hospitals and health systems to generate additional capacity to deal with a surge in COVID19 patients [5] requiring hospitalisation. The risk that the pandemic could overwhelm the Irish hospital system was a key consideration in Ireland’s pandemic response, Humphries et al Hum Resour Health (2021) 19:29 in relation to the timing of nationwide lockdowns, in March, October and late December 2020. This paper seeks to ascertain whether (and how) the COVID-19 pandemic might disrupt or reinforce existing patterns of doctor emigration
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