REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE BLOOD TRANSFUSION CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE BLOOD TRANSFUSION CENTRE D’OLIER ST., DUBLIN 2
Tá mé buíoch díbh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom teacht anseo inniu chun an seirbhís seo a oscailt go hoifigiúil. Go raibh maith agaibh as an bhfáilte chaoin.
I would like to thank you for your warm welcome and for the opportunity to join you for the official opening of this new Blood Donor Clinic right in the very heart of the city. Somehow it seems a particularly appropriate place, for it serves both as an invitation to consider giving blood and a reminder of the quiet work of voluntary blood donation which goes on, day after day, throughout our country and which so many people depend upon for life itself.
So often, it is only when accident or ill health strikes, that any of us fully understands just how important a role blood transfusions play in saving life and restoring health. Equally, it is only then that many people realise just how fortunate we in Ireland are to have so many generous and reliable donors, who respond time after time to the call for help.
Quite literally, the Blood Transfusion Service has provided a lifeline to countless number of people over the years. In fact, every year, around 2% of the Irish population needs a blood transfusion – a statistic which highlights very clearly that every one of us probably has a family member or friend who might be no longer with us if it were not for the work of the Blood Transfusion Service. In paying tribute to that vital work, it is also right that we should acknowledge that in recent years, when the public focus has turned to the Blood Transfusion Service, it has been to look with shock at the downstream consequences of past events. The loss of health and life to so many individuals continues to exert a terrible toll of pain. For the staff who continue to sustain and develop the service, these have been very fraught times but they know that the redemption of public trust and confidence lies in their commitment to make this Service the very best, the most responsive, the most caring, it can possibly be.
The first steps in that process have already been taken through the opening last month of new, indeed, state-of-the-art, headquarters for the Service in St. James’ Hospital. It is greatly to the credit of everyone involved that this move took place without any interruption in the blood supply and I would like to warmly commend the dedication and enthusiasm of all the staff. The centre boasts many new facilities and resources, but one in particular deserves particular mention: the special clinic where people will donate platelets, which are crucial in the treatment of cancer. There is no finer example of how the wonders of technology are being harnessed to offer fresh hope and a new lease of life to so many people.
At the end of the day, of course, no matter how high-tech the equipment, it is the human face of the Service which matters most: the staff, the donors, the recipients and their families. They form a web of support which proves the truth of the Irish saying: Ar scath a chéile a mhaireann na daoine: we need each other, we depend on each other. At the centre of that web of relationships, are the people who make it all possible: the donors. They are remarkable people. Many of them have to travel quite long distances – or short distances that take a very long time – to attend clinics. Despite competing demands on their time, often despite personal inconvenience, they make special space in their lives to donate blood, because they know how desperately others are in need of their help. Their blood goes to strangers, people they will never meet, whose gratitude they may never know; but the job is done not for thanks, not for money, but out of respect for life and pity for those who suffer. I know that some of those heroes and heroines are here with us today, and I would like to warmly commend you for that selflessness and care.
As lifestyles and working patterns change, so too must the Blood Transfusion Service. And it is for this reason that it has come up with a number of innovative ways of encouraging and facilitating blood donations. Among these are a number of mobile clinics which operate the length and breadth of the country. Their success is due in no small part to the very dedicated network of voluntary donor organisers who prepare venues for the mobile clinics, arrange advertising, drum up local support and generally ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Here in Dublin, this new city centre venue will make blood donation far more convenient for many people who would like to donate but who, in the past, were unable to find the time. Not only will they be able to drop in during lunchtime and after work, but I believe that it is also possible to make an appointment for a specific time. And of course, the central location will heighten awareness and, hopefully, interest in donating among passers-by, shoppers and football fans alike.
Every week, almost 3,000 units of blood are donated in Ireland. The task of ensuring that this vital supply is maintained and, if possible, increased, lies with the staff of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. Every one of them, no matter what their function, plays an important part in ensuring the quality of the service and I commend them for their commitment and hard work. I wish them, together with the Board and management of the IBTS, every success in meeting future challenges.
Finally, I would like to thank those who have already availed of this new centre to donate blood. I have no doubt you will be joined by many more donors, both new and old hands, and that this centre will go from strength to strength.