Irish PM Leo Varadkar re-enlists on medical register to battle coronavirus
Varadkar studied medicine at the Trinity College of Dublin and was listed within Ireland's medical register up until 2013.
By ZACHARY KEYSERIreland's Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks during a news conference on the ongoing situation with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland March 24, 2020(photo credit: STEVE HUMPHREYS/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Prime Minister of Ireland Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a former doctor of seven years before his rise into politics, has re-enlisted within the Irish medical register and will take on a hospital shift this week - working with the Health Service Executive (HSE) on the frontlines of the battle against the coronavirus outbreak.Varadkar studied medicine at the Trinity College of Dublin and was listed within Ireland's medical register up until 2013. He held positions as junior doctor at St. James's Hospital and Connolly Hospital, before becoming a general practitioner in 2010.Varadkar rejoined the medical workforce last month, and is currently set to take on weekly shifts in areas within his scope of practice, a spokesperson for his office said."Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way," the spokesperson added.Last month, health minister Simon Harris launched a recruitment drive for the country's struggling health service to tackle the coronavirus outbreak with a stark message: "Your country needs you."The HSE said it had spoken to thousands of healthcare professionals who may be eligible to return after it received more than 70,000 responses for its "Be on call for Ireland" initiative.According to a report in The Irish Times, Varadkar is helping out with phone assessments. Anybody who may have been exposed to the virus is initially assessed over the phone.Varadkar comes from a medical family. He is the son of a doctor and a nurse and, according to The Irish Times, his partner, two sisters and their husbands all work in healthcare.Reuters contributed to this report.
