A former surgeon still registered with the Medical Council was asked for her birth certificate and Junior Certificate results when trying to become a Covid-19 vaccinator.
Recruitment company CPL is hiring vaccinators on behalf of the HSE. But the process has been criticised by medics and nurses for being too time-consuming and they also say part-time hours are not available.
Speaking to The Irish Examiner, Niamh Power said she started the applications in mid-February.
Now working in aviation, she was previously a registrar in orthopaedic surgery. She re-registered with the Medical Council when the pandemic hit.
She said: “You would think anyone who can handle a needle could do it, but there is really quite a lot of bureaucracy and hoops to be jumped through.”
“I think it is putting off a lot of people who are available.”
The first hurdle was gathering the documents, with more than 15 different forms, references and certificates required including proof of address, birth certificate, exam results from Junior Cert onwards, and police clearance from any country lived in for more than six months.
Ms Power said: “You’re asked for lots of things that are clearly irrelevant. They know you are a registered doctor so to ask for the Junior Cert is pretty basic.”
Her referees were contacted. And three weeks ago, she was sent online modules which took a day to complete, followed by a half-day in-person training course.
“I thought they have got their act together now and it is all happening. And it still hasn’t happened,” Ms Power said.
