The draft amendments to the Registration rules intends to allow physicians with equivalent overseas qualifications to apply for inclusion in the general division and specialist division of the Register using their overseas qualification rather than the Pre-Registration Examination (PRES). This appears to be a pragmatic recognition that these equivalent qualifications are at least as suitable as the PRES to determine eligibility.

The IMO sent a short submission to the Medical Council including recommendations that:

• The Certificate of Experience approach to entry onto the General Register must guarantee that the doctor has undergone some form of assessment.
• Only those who are specialist trained and registered should practice independently (currently a physician on the General Register may practice in any speciality)

The submission also highlighted a number of issues that were not addressed by the amendments including:

• the restrictions placed upon doctors registered on the Specialist Training Register (in that they cannot undertake clinical work such as locum work outside of the post which they are registered in).
• The need to introduce a requirement for Irish registration for Doctors outside the State supplying services to this State.