"He wanted to help out even in a small way."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has re-registered as a doctor in a bid to help out the HSE amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Varadkar, who worked as a junior doctor before becoming a politician, re-joined the medical register last month.
He will work one shift per week to assist the HSE in areas that are relevant to his experience.
Sky News reports that Varadkar will return to his work as a doctor for "one session a week in areas that are within his scope of practice."
"Many of his family and friends are working in the health service," a spokesperson said. "He wanted to help out even in a small way."
Varadkar practised as a doctor for seven years before leaving his role to enter politics. He worked as a junior doctor in Dublin's St James's Hospital and Connolly Hospital.
He was officially removed from the medical register in 2013.
There are currently 4,994 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
158 people have died as a result of the virus.
