Athens…..it’s an extremely compact city; it has enough grit, weirdness and bustle to give it that urban vibe which you don’t seem to have in Dublin. But like many other visitors to Athens, I am travelling not knowing the full extent of the country’s economic problems.

My colleague and I are travelling to Athens with one goal…a mission you could call it, to find Doctors that are willing to come and work in Ireland.

In case you have been living under a rock in past few years you will know that Ireland has a severe shortage of NCHD’s (Junior Doctors), as a result of this we have had to source Doctors from countries all over Europe.

Most recently our European counterparts Greece have been through harsh economic times. So much so that the IMF came knocking on their door in early May, or should I say Greece knocked on the door of the IMF. A bailout package was agreed to the tune of €30 Billion, a figure would be beyond comprehension in third world countries. Unemployment is currently tethering around the 12% mark, a figure which is in actual fact lower than that of the Republic of Ireland but still dangerously high.

So what effect does the introduction of the IMF have on Doctors and the health system in Greece? Well the feeling I got by speaking to Greek Doctors is that they are extremely fed up, un-happy and vexed by the situation. This is a feeling that is present across the whole country which is evident in the protests that are constantly taking place in the capital and also the armed riot police that man every street corner prepared for the worst. In effect the country has temporarily given up its sovereignty and handed it to the IMF, they are now running the show and as a result the Health System is suffering. This is a route that Ireland must not look at going down but in the end the people may have no say in the matter.

As we spoke to more Doctors the real seriousness of the situation became apparent, Doctors aren’t getting paid on time and when they do they aren’t receiving the right amount.

One particular Doctor I spoke to had been working as a Junior Doctor in Cardiology within a public hospital in Athens. He proceeded to tell me how he had not been paid for nearly 4 weeks, his salary had been dramatically cut in the space of one year to roughly €400 per week and that the conditions within the hospital had deteriorated due to extreme cuts in public sector spending, the government passed a budget agreeing to €8 Billion worth of cuts in 14 months.

The consensus amongst all the Doctors we met in Greece was that they feared that hospitals would close down and there would be a mass exodus of Doctors from the country. The majority of Doctors we met wished to leave so that they could provide a better future for their family.

The question is can Ireland benefit from the current unrest amongst Medical Professionals in Greece?? What I’ve concluded is that as long as the IMF is running Greece we have a good chance.

With the shutdown of A&E and acute services in Navan general, shortly after the closure of acute services in Monaghan, what is happening to the North East? The question has to be asked, why is that region constantly in the press? Could it be similar to the Northside/ Southside bias that was in the IMT a fortnight ago, whereby Beaumont Hospital believes there is a “disparity” between the way the HSE allocates funding.  Does this carry through to other HSE regions as well?

Seemingly not; an article published recently in the Irish times suggests that regardless of the region, services are being cut and bed closures are occurring across the board.

Why is this do you reckon? Could it have anything to do with the hospitals decreased budget for the year; resulting in the closure of beds. Less beds equals less patients, it’s more like less beds equals more trolleys!

So while budget cuts have been made the number of admissions haven’t decreased. Services including GP’s and GP out of hour’s services are not being fully utilised. Are we using A&E departments as our own personal GP, considering there is a massive shortage for the next rotation which we are currently trying to fill in partnership with the HSE. Perhaps all of this is something one could consider before joining the Emergency Department queue.

Is there gold at the end of the HSE Rainbow for private hospitals? Thankfully I have not been to an A&E department as a patient myself (touch wood!) for some time but I have to ask would I go to our local hospital to wait for hours or to one of the many private clinics where you are assured to be seen in a hour. The question is are the right people using these facilities?

My last trip to A&E found me sitting for several hours along with a dozen of other poor souls with a variety of ailments from your good old fashioned minor accidents to the much often seen in A&E departments nationwide patients with a few too many drinks on them, I can understand how staffing A&E’s can be difficult.

 At this point I can hold my hand up and say yes, perhaps I shouldn’t have sat in A&E for several hours for what turned out to be a severe sprain but rather have gone to one of the many facilities that the HSE and private sector provide and be home in time to watch the 6 O’clock News but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

With our A&E departments being stretched to the limit every day, constant newspaper headlines reporting on backlogs, patients on trolleys (257 on the Tuesday after the October Bank Holiday as per INMO).  GP’s and private clinics the promise of being in and out in a hour and not to mention the GP Out of Hours Services are we using the Health Service to the best of our ability? Is the HSE to blame or our outlook and use of the facilities we are being offered every day. Either way these services are essential and necessary and fair play to the staff in A&E today! My aim is to continue to recruit doctors to man these front line services, to continue to offer choice of services and to ensure that when you need your local A&E department that the right staff is there.