Doctors and nurses from all over the globe are continuing to jet home to pull on the green jersey and battle Covid-19 here.
Dr Paddy Barry has uprooted his life in Perth, Australia, to report for duty at Dublin’s Tallaght Hospital next week.
But he insists it’s the retired healthcare workers who have come back on to the frontline who are worthy of praise.
The young doctor from Greystones, Co Wicklow, said: “I have a huge respect for those coming out of retirement who are knowingly putting themselves at a greater risk than younger professionals like myself and they are still determined to help.”
Over 500 nurses and 120 doctors have already returned from overseas.
Dr Barry told C103’s Cork Today show: “Once we saw the appeal to the healthcare staff from the Minister Simon Harris and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, we decided it would definitely be the right thing to go home and help with the fight.
“We heard about it and received those messages on a Wednesday and I went into work the next day and asked would it be ok to resign.
“There’s usually a four week cooling off period, but the staff at Royal Perth Hospital, where I was working, were brilliant.
“They really understood and they allowed me to cancel my contract on Friday, which was my last day.
“I finished up a night shift on Friday into Saturday and flew out Sunday night.”
