Leo Varadkar: A health service fit for purpose

We have a shortage of personnel in our expanding health sector, but simply increasing staff is not the answer

We have about 500 more nurses on the payroll than in 2014

A well-functioning health service depends on its staff. The difficulty recruiting and retaining consultants, nurses and midwives is well known. It’s an international phenomenon with the World Health Organisation estimating that we are short about 1.2 million globally. But this worldwide issue is a particular problem for Ireland as we operate in a very competitive English-speaking labour market.

Finding staff was not as great a problem during the recession as a recruitment embargo ...