Minister O’Donovan announces major increase in healthcare places across Ireland

Posted: 18 October, 2024

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation, Research and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD has today announced a major increase in healthcare places in Ireland through the creation of six new programmes.

Funding of €130 million unlocked from the National Training Fund will support the growth of key healthcare disciplines, addressing critical workforce shortages and enhancing healthcare education across the country.

As part of this initiative, following recommendations from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), several universities will establish new programmes in areas of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry.

The programmes for advancement, and their locations are:
• The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) will receive support for a new Bachelor of Dental Surgery, which will train students in a community- based model of dental education, significantly increasing the number of dentistry training places available nationally and expanding access to dental services. This programme will provide 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish/EEA students from 2025 onwards.
• Atlantic Technological University, South East Technological University, and University of Galway will each introduce new pharmacy programmes, doubling the number of pharmacy training programmes in Ireland. At full roll-out this will provide more than 150 additional pharmacy graduates per year.
• University of Galway will also introduce a Rural and Remote Graduate Entry Medicine Stream, aimed at addressing the shortage of general practitioners in rural Ireland. At full roll-out this will provide 48 additional medicine places per year.
• University of Limerick will launch a direct entry medicine programme. Building on its expertise as a provider of Graduate Entry Medicine, UL is set to play a key role in addressing Ireland’s need for more medical professionals.

At an event to mark the announcement in UL today, Minister O’Donovan said: “I am excited to see the impact these new projects will have on the health sector and those who avail of their services.
“They truly have the potential to revolutionise our higher education landscape and provide more opportunities for students to follow their passions in healthcare and medicine.
“University of Limerick will introduce a direct entry medicine programme, the Royal College of Surgeons will receive support for their Dental Surgery programme, University of Galway will introduce a Rural and Remote Graduate Entry Medicine stream, and three new pharmacy programmes will be introduced in Atlantic Technological University, South East Technological University, and University of Galway.
“This will double the number of pharmacy programmes in Ireland and make pharmacy education available in new regions.
“And I’m pleased to say we are not finished: this is only the first round of development.
“My officials are working with the HEA and the higher education sector to progress further expansion to meet the needs of the public sector and the nation.”

HEA CEO Dr Alan Wall said: “Today’s announcement demonstrates the ability of the higher education and research system to respond swiftly and effectively to evolving national priorities and skills needs.
“The new programmes announced today reflect the commitment of institutions to meeting society’s needs and to enhancing the range of programmes on offer to prospective students.
“New programmes at ATU, SETU, RCSI, University of Galway, and University of Limerick are highly innovative in their design and methods of delivery, drawing on international best practice to provide additional opportunities for students to study Pharmacy, Dentistry and Medicine in courses that are highly attuned to institutions’ regions and communities and responsive to national healthcare challenges.
“These programmes will complement existing high-quality provision in Dentistry, Medicine, and Pharmacy, strengthening the overall capacity of the system to meet Ireland’s healthcare training needs into the future.”

The new programmes are part of a broader government strategy to expand veterinary and healthcare education and ensure a steady pipeline of qualified professionals to meet the needs of Ireland’s growing population.

In recent years, the government has significantly increased capacity in health and social care programmes. This expansion includes:
– A 2022 agreement with Irish Medical Schools that introduced 60 additional places for Irish and EU students, with a goal of 200 additional places annually by 2026.
– New training places in vital areas such as Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physiotherapy, with further expansion expected in 2025.
– A 35% increase in therapy discipline places by next year, with new courses in universities such as University of Galway and University of Limerick.

Last year alone saw 460 new places in healthcare disciplines, and the government is committed to building on this progress.

ENDS