General medicine and mental health services in the Shannonside region are currently dealing with 56 vacant consultant positions.
Local Hospitals and mental health supports are attempting to fill positions in areas such as emergency medicine, radiology, paediatric and psychiatric services.
A breakdown of the vacancies was presented to this months meeting of the regional health forum west.
University Hospital Galway has the largest number of vacancies for specialist consultants in the region, with 31 positions in the process of being advertised or filled.
Hospital management are seeking 7 new Consultants in Emergency Medicine, while other vacancies include the disciplines of surgery, anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology.
12 positions are available in Portiuncula Hospital in the areas of general medicine, surgery and emergency medicine, with 4 of these currently being filled by temporary staff.
Sligo University Hospital are currently advertising and filling 6 consultant positions in general medicine, surgery and anaesthetics.
Meanwhile, Roscommon Hospital has no outstanding posts to be filled with efforts being made to replace some temporary consultants with long term staff.
When it comes to Mental Health and Older People Services in the CHO 1 area, Leitrim and Sligo are without 4 consultant adult psychiatrists, a consultant neurologist and geriatric medicine specialist.
Elsewhere in the region, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Roscommon are attempting to fill four Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist positions and a Consultant Medical Ophthalmologist.
Nationally, The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has stated that consultant vacancies were at an all-time high of 882 permanent posts not filled, with concerns raised over the impact the empty positions will have on already high waiting lists.
