REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE “TURNING OF THE SOD” FOR THE NEW PARENT STAY UNIT
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE “TURNING OF THE SOD” FOR THE NEW PARENT STAY UNIT AT BEAUMONT HOSPITAL
I am delighted to be here at Beaumont Hospital for this important ceremony – and a landmark in the evolving history of this major hospital. I am particularly grateful to Mike Hannon, the Director of the Beaumont Foundation, for giving me this honour – and for the opportunity to visit one of Dublin’s newest hospitals. As a parent myself – and having the odd occasion to bring a child to hospital! – I can very much relate to the need for this new unit which will really have a two-fold function – in allowing parents – especially those who have great distances to travel - to stay near their children when they are needed most – when the presence of loving and caring family can make all the difference to a sick child trying to cope with the trauma of hospital confinement. It will also take some of that burden from the hard-pressed nursing and medical staff who at times have to substitute for family who cannot be there when they are unexpectedly needed.
Even in the eleven short years since Beaumont Hospital was opened, the changes in medical practices and procedures and demands for even newer facilities have meant that this hospital – like every other hospital – has had to respond to changing circumstances. Institutions such as this – which cater to the needs of people in an ever changing world – in a world which sees new developments and insights in the field of medical practice – need to be able to respond to the shifting circumstances if they are to adhere to their mission of best practice and best care for those in their charge.
It is to the great credit of the Board of Beaumont Hospital that they have discharged their obligations in this regard with distinction. I would like to pay tribute to the Board for their initiative in establishing the Beaumont Foundation in 1996 - to focus on gathering financial support for the many developments that are - and no doubt will be required. I also want to avail of this opportunity to commend the Chairman – Mr. Dick Lane – for his work for with the Foundation, which I understand has set the ambitious target of £1m to support Cardiology and Radiology at the hospital – and is working with the Diabetes Unit, the Renal Unit and the Cochlear Implant Programme in addition to a Millennium Centre project. Clearly there is much to be done in gathering financial support and I would like join with Pat Lyons, Chief Executive of the Hospital, in thanking the supporters of the Foundation for their continued generosity and spirit of help.
This hospital – which was formed through an amalgamation of the old Jervis Street and Richmond hospitals - caters for the ever expanding population of North Dublin as a general hospital – and, through it’s many specialist services, operates on a national basis – being the referral centre for neurosciences and renal transplantation. It is of course, the major teaching hospital for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – with whom I have an association as a Honorary Fellow – and indeed where I was honoured only last night at the Foundation Dinner for the new College of Anaesthetists - being made the first Honorary Fellow of the new College. The fact that Beaumont has been chosen by the College of Surgeons for a new Clinical Sciences development is also a reflection of your international standing as a place of learning and a centre of excellence.
Of course, excellence and high reputation don’t just come about from equipment and buildings. The most important ingredient is people – people who are dedicated to their work in tending to the needs of those who require medical attention – people who are committed to giving the best possible service to patients – people who put others first. I want to avail of my presence here today to recognise the tremendous work of the management and staff at the hospital – and to congratulate you on building up the hospital’s reputation in such a short space of time. Yours is a special vocation – a calling of care and tending. I know that it is not always an easy task – and that you have to cope as often with distressed relatives as with infirm patients. It takes a special set of gifts to do that job. I know that many individuals and communities throughout Ireland depend on your services – and are grateful to you for what you do.
In turning the first sod today – I want to thank all of those who have worked to make this possible. I am aware that it involved numerous fundraising events and appeals and, with the support of the hospital staff, patients, suppliers, the local community and local businesses, you are now ready to start construction. The fruits of your labours will be there for many generations to come – and will be a living testament to your commitment and dedication to the Hospital. I wish you well with this new unit – and with the future developments that will maintain Beaumont as a centre of excellence in the provision of medical care.