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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation, Research and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD has 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.

¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ 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 October 2024, 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.

“¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ 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.

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