The number of places on third-level medical courses is to increase by 200 — about 33 per cent — over the next five years.
The move is aimed at boosting the supply of doctors and easing pressure on the CAO points system which a saw a number of candidates miss out on medicine places due to random selection last year, despite securing maximum points in the Leaving Cert.
The announcement follows an agreement between the Government and Irish medical schools to increase the number of places available for European Union students. Medical schools will begin with an additional 60 students this September, rising to 120 next year and up to 200 by 2026.
The first of these additional places will be available from September at NUI Galway (11 undergraduate places), Trinity College Dublin (11 undergraduate places), RCSI (11 undergraduate places), UCC (11 undergraduate places), UCD (11 undergraduate places) and UL (five graduate entry places).
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“It marks a significant expansion in the number of places available to students applying through the CAO system. It increases the opportunities for students to progress to study medicine in Ireland and to help us build our talent pipeline,” Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the creation of these places was an important step to enable his department and the Health Service Executive to plan for the future health workforce.
“We are all aware of the demands we place on those working in the healthcare system, particularly since the onset of the pandemic,” he said.
“By increasing the number of doctors in the system, we are taking a step towards addressing the needs of the entire system, to allow it to continue to respond and allowing some much-needed support for those frontline workers who have managed so well, caring for people over the course of the pandemic.”
The additional places will be funded jointly by the Departments of Further and Higher Education and Health.
Mr Harris also confirmed that his department is engaging with universities in Northern Ireland on allowing Irish students to apply for medicine courses through the CAO system. One area of discussion involves the creation of an additional 50 places through the route, potentially beginning next year.
