Minister for Health Dr James Reilly has defended the State's handling of the recruitment of hospital doctors from India and Pakistan for vacant posts in Ireland.
Dr Reilly said the initial recruitment campaign was a "resounding success" given that 290 doctors had been interviewed, 260 arrived in Ireland and 230 are now working.
A further 70 to 80 arrived in Ireland after the first exam and a second exam is due to be held later this month by the Medical Council.
The Minister said he would be concerned if some doctors who had arrived here had not been treated in a proper fashion.
A group of doctors are still waiting for a job and some have said they feel financially and emotionally drained.
Dr Reilly said he had not been contacted by the Indian or Pakistan embassies regarding claims that some doctors are in distress and feel they are not being treated well.
He said doctors waiting for a post are getting food and accommodation, plus €100 a week.
The Medical Council has decided it will hold the second assessment exam for doctors after all the documentation from the doctors and the HSE is submitted and in order.
The Minister said he would ensure that the HSE keeps up its side by delivering documentation confirming a doctor's appointment and that the doctor would be supervised.
HSE head expects significant number of early retirements
Meanwhile, HSE Chief Executive Cathal Magee has said he expects a significant number of early retirements in the health service by February, when a beneficial tax situation ends.
He also said the HSE would hope to see a further reduction of around 6,000 staff by 2014; the executive currently employs 105,000.
Mr Magee was speaking at the first annual conference of the Health Management Institute in Farmleigh in Dublin.
He said around 20% of the health budget was actually "social spending" so a direct comparison of Ireland's expenditure with other countries needed to take that into account.
