REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE REPORT ON THE ‘CARING ABOUT WOMEN AND CANCER’
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE REPORT ON THE ‘CARING ABOUT WOMEN AND CANCER’ SURVEY DUBLIN CASTLE
Tá lúcháir orm bheith anseo libh inniu ag an ócáid seo agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh as an chuireadh.
I very much welcome this opportunity to join you here today for the launch of this report on the ‘Caring about Women and Cancer’ survey. I would like to thank Professor Jim Fennelly for his kind invitation.
This report is to be welcomed for many reasons. As the largest ever, all-Ireland survey – and indeed part of the largest ever European survey – on what women with cancer think about the way in which their illness is treated, this report focuses on the most important aspect of all in relation to any medical condition – the patient. And in these days of ever more impressive medical research, state-of-the-art equipment, diagnostic techniques and methods of treatment, it is essential that we never lose sight of that patient – that human being at the centre of all this technology. Any person who has been diagnosed with cancer, is a person in need of reassurance, of respect, of patient listening, of a consoling word, of being made to feel that his or her needs, worries and concerns matter. These are things that no money can buy, no computer can generate, no technology can replace. They are precisely the qualities that have earned the medical profession and the nursing profession the special place they hold in the hearts of the Irish people.
It is therefore deeply reassuring to see that this report confirms that the majority of women surveyed were extremely satisfied or quite satisfied with the way in which their diagnosis was communicated, the time spent in the explanation, the ‘openness’ of doctors and nurses and the opportunity to ask questions. The majority were also satisfied with the ability of hospital doctors, and nurses in particular, to deal emotionally with cancer. Those aspects of care are extremely important, because cancer, indeed any serious illness, is not simply a physical phenomenon. It has an emotional and psychological dimension which also needs to be addressed. In the increasingly stressful world of medical care, a world of long hours and countless appointments, it is asking much of our medical staff to give that emotional support, again and again. But we do ask it because it is that human face of care and compassion which makes the difference, which determines if the experience of treatment is one filled with fear, or one which builds up hope.
Cancer is an illness which touches the lives of many people, in particular the family and friends of the individual who has been diagnosed. It is they who provide the circle of support for the person with cancer, it is they who pay the emotional cost of that support. They also need support, not just by the medical profession, but by society at large. And that must start with a greater understanding of cancer by all of us. The big ‘C’ no longer causes the same terror of almost certain death as it did in the past – indeed this survey found that over 80% of patients believe that the chances of surviving breast or gynaecological cancer are good, if caught early enough. But that is before they themselves have been diagnosed, when it is a problem that is somewhere out there, which affects someone else, but not them. Indeed almost that same percentage of respondents – 79% - said that they didn’t know much about cancer prior to diagnosis. That lack of knowledge within the wider community can result in a half-embarrassed avoidance of all mention of the subject, further compounding feelings of isolation at a time when patients and their family are in most need of understanding and support.
One of the most striking and disturbing aspects of the report is the fact that only a small minority of patients had ever availed of health checks or screening services such as mammograms, cervical screening or smear testing. Even more disturbing is the fact that almost a quarter of respondents waited one month or more before seeking medical advice for symptoms or signs of breast or gynaecological cancer, despite knowing that early detection and treatment are key factors in survival rates. We can all imagine why this might be the case – a lack of widely-available services in the past, fear of a positive result, desperate hope that the symptoms might go away. There are other, more traditional factors that might also hold sway, a misplaced sense of awe for the medical profession and concern that they shouldn’t ‘bother’ the doctor – as if their needs and fears were undeserving of attention; or finding it difficult to find the time in their pressurised lives for even a brief visit to the doctor - although the time could always be found if a child were sick.
All the facilities and services that modern technology can offer are of little use if women do not have the confidence, courage and self-worth to use those facilities, to visit their GP, to make their own health care – and not just that of their families – a priority. Encouraging that proactive attitude must be an essential element of future health care and health promotion.
I would like to warmly congratulate Professor Jim Fennelly, Dr Mary Codd and all of their colleagues on the National Advisory Board, for their excellent work in producing this invaluable report. I also commend Bristol- Myers Squibb for their commitment to this initiative. Last, but by no means least, I would like to pay tribute to the 700 women who participated in this survey, giving of themselves and their time so generously, when they already had so much on their plate. It gives me great pleasure to launch this report.
Go maire sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.