Junior doctors will vote on whether to strike amid widespread unhappiness with the HSE. 

A survey suggested that 78% of them said they are at risk of burnout because of long hours and poor conditions. 

The survey also found that 40% of junior doctors have been made to work for more than 24 hours straight, while some reported not being paid for all hours worked.

Pictured is St James Hospital. Picture by: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

'Unsustainable'

“Our main concern is around the unsustainable working conditions for junior doctors,” Dr John Cannon from the Irish Medical Organisation told Newstalk. 

“In Ireland junior doctors, now called NCHDs, are working 70, 80, 90 hours a week, 300 hours a month. 

“This is an extremely dangerous situation from the perspective of patient safety.” 

There are currently 7,500 junior doctors working in Irish hospitals and they account for two thirds of the medical workforce. 

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.

Main image: A doctor collecting samples while a man donates blood in December 2017. Picture by: EyeEm / Alamy Stock Photo