HEALTH Minister Dr James Reilly came to Clare on Monday to do a lap of honour; press the flesh and go through the formalities of courtesy visits and openings. Just what the good doctor needed as a breather from the torment that usually goes with his ministerial portfolio.

It was a fairly low-key affair and there were no public protests or angry outbursts from healthcare employees. There was, however, one faux pas on Minister Reilly’s part in not dropping in on the emergency department at Ennis General Hospital on his way to officially opening the new €9 million 50-bed wing.

A cancer survivor wanted Dr Reilly to see people on trolleys there and to mention his personal medical situation. Time constraints didn’t allow such a visit, was the minister’s response.

The sense of ownership that staff have in Ennis hospital was made quite apparent when three nurses asked Dr Reilly to consider operating the proposed medical assessment unit (MAU) on a 24-hour basis, rather than 8am to 8pm.

Just as probably the last half-dozen health ministers have done on visits to Clare, Dr Reilly has given a commitment to safeguard the future of Ennis hospital. He cited an investment of €20m, including €9m on the new wing, as evidence of this.

While in Clare, the minister also viewed two facilities that provide key support to families who want to keep the elderly and those suffering from dementia living in their own homes.

The dementia unit at the Clarecastle District Day Centre and the new €1.7m Carrigoran Day Centre are huge community assets and all those involved in delivering on them by way of cash or kind should feel justifiably proud.

Clarecastle District Day Centre chairman, Heber McMahon noted it was appropriate for Minister Reilly to open the facility, as community care is something he has been advocating for a long time.

A number of sidebar meetings gave people an opportunity to press the health minister of a variety of issues, some local, others regional and even national.

Beyond all the handshakes, smiles and politeness, Dr Reilly, no doubt, left Clare with food for thought in respects of many matters that need attending to in the health service in the county and Mid-West.

Outside of any discussions as to how health services will operate in Ennis General Hospital in future, serious problems remain to be addressed at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, University College Hospital, Galway and Croom. A crisis at the emergency department in Limerick, while Ennis and Nenagh are tied to 12 hours, bed shortages and delays in elective surgery are just the tip of the iceberg. There are still a lot of ills to be cured in the health service.

 

The gift of life

ORGAN donations can help save another person’s life. It’s a rather simple message but one that should be shouted from the rooftops.

In the case of sudden death, a person’s kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas or other organs can be harvested and transplanted to several critically ill patients.

A living person can also be an organ donor. The first case dated back to 1954, when a kidney from a twin was transpanted into his identical brother.

In addition to a kidney, living donors can now provide the lobe of a lung, portion of the liver, pancreas or intestine.

Over the years, we have heard of high-profile transplant recipients, as well as many stories from ordinary people, who owe their lives to the generosity of  a deceased person they never knew.

Former Derry footballer and TV pundit, Joe Brolly, gave the issue of living organ donation a platform, when his kidney was transplated into a close friend, Shane Finnegan. Unfortunately, due to medical complications, the kidney had to be removed.

Last week, The Clare Champion, as part of Organ Donor Week, highlighted two aspects of the issue. Joe Grace, 42, from Kildysart, spoke of how, after four years on dialysis, he received the all-important call for a kidney transplant at Beaumont Hospital. He said the donor had given him a new lease of life.

Clare football selector, Michael Neylon, outlined the difficulties his 68-year-old father, PJ has been experiencing while getting dialysis treatment three times a week for the past four years. He waits in hope for the call.

This week, the living organ donor process has come to light in Ennis. In a successful procedure Carrie Moroney, 31, has donated a kidney to her 63-year-old father, Jimmy, who had been on dialysis following a deterioration  of his diabetes problem. He is one of three living kidney transplant recipients in the Mid-West.

Jimmy’s quality of life has changed immeasurably and he and his daughter are now urging others who are considering donating a kidney to a loved one to do so.

While referring to the bond with her father, Carrie said lightheartedly, “There’s no difference in the relationship, other than he has my spare parts.”

Of course, behind the success stories, there are many that end in tragedy, as time runs out for patients on dialysis. Their odds of survival could be improved by those who are fortunate to enjoy good health.

The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) campaigns endlessly in the hope that a greater number of people will commit to organ donation. The Clare branch is one the strongest in the country and does a lot of work, not only in increasing public awareness of kidney donation but also in suporting people with kidney disease.

Just think, by answering the call to be a donor, so many more people could live healthy and happy lives for years to come.