A pay hike has failed to bring more hospital consultants into the sector.
The Sunday Business Post reports the rise agreed between the IMO and HSE last year is not having the desired effect in bringing more specialised doctors back to Ireland.
There are still no applications for one in eight posts, and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association says recruitment remains extremely challenging.
Other English-speaking countries are said to offer salaries that are 'many multiples' higher than those being offered here.
The paper reports a net increase of 92 in the number of consultants employed compared to the previous year - but Health Editor with the Sunday Business Post Susan Mitchell says that is a 'very small' increase.
She says "what we found when we received figures from the HSE was that the actual net increase was very small, and was only marginally higher than it was the previous year - which would suggest the new pay deal is not really delivering numbers on the ground.".