HSE paid almost €10 million to private recruitment firms

The HSE paid private recruitment firms almost 10 million euros last year.

Two companies got over 2.5 million each.

Some of the money was spent on recruiting nurses from overseas - and paying agency staff.

Galway GP Martin Daly says it's a waste of money.

He adds " the health service relies on agency staff because of a lack of ambition to make the health services a career of choice for people."

"It reflects a lack of capacity in the system and it also is not a healthy way to develop our health services because the problem with the provision of care is lack of continuity care and seeing those careers as a career of choice with professionals."