Health Services Staff
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I can confirm that the post was upgraded to that of consultant medical ophthalmologist and obviously that may be one of the reasons it was not as sought after as it was. Several recruitment campaigns have been run and to date the HSE has been unable to fill the post. The post is funded as well, so it is not a financial issue. Several eligible candidates have applied in the latest recruitment campaign, which closed on 21 January. Shortlisting will commence on 27 February, with interviews anticipated to take place in mid-March 2026. The HSE has also engaged with the Royal Victoria Ear and Eye Hospital in Dublin with a view to supporting Tipperary south. It has undertaken discussions with a private agency and a scoping exercise is being conducted in this regard, acknowledging the long waiting list and the likes of the two kids the Deputy mentioned who have been waiting two years which is simply not good enough. I thank the Deputy and I will follow up on this again.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18