Speech by president McAleese, at the official launch of the Irish Heart Transplant Association
Speech by president McAleese, at the official launch of the Irish Heart Transplant Association Mater Hospital
President, Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I very much appreciate your kind invitation to be here this evening to attend the official launch of the Irish Heart Transplant Association. For over ten years now, your Association has provided important pre- and post-operative support to transplant patients and their families as a voluntary support group. Through its voluntary work and fundraising initiatives you have complemented the work of the health authorities in promoting the needs of the heart transplant community.
You are to be commended for your dedication over the years in supporting the work of the National Cardiac Unit at the Mater Hospital. I understand that since 1985 a total of 159 heart transplants have been carried out there and that many of these patients have received great support from your Association through its voluntary work.
Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer in this country. It is frightening to think that 280 people die every week from some form of heart disease, that’s 40 people every day. If this wasn’t shocking enough, even more striking is the fact that for ischaemic heart disease, our premature death rate is twice the European average.
One very worrying trend in our society is the high incidence of smoking among young people and in particular women. This was confirmed for us in a recent “Slán Survey” and is a critically important issue which our society must tackle. The sedentary and inactive lifestyles of so many of our people also contribute to the high incidence of cardiovascular disease. There are issues here for the individual and for all of us as a community – there is the responsibility each of us has and can’t shirk from in our own lives and the responsibility the community has to ensure we have the best information to help us make good choices.
Together we have much work to do in changing lifestyles and attitudes. We should be greatly assisted in this area by the findings of the Cardiac Health Strategy Group appointed to develop a National Strategy on Cardiovascular Health under the aegis of the Department of Health and Children. I understand that the group is currently finalising its recommendations on health promotion and education initiatives as well as looking at improvements to existing arrangements for the treatment and rehabilitation of people who suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
As a consequence of the high incidence of cardiovascular disease, there is a significant demand for transplantation services. Ireland’s performance in the area of organ donation has traditionally been strong and we are by nature an altruistic society. Patients awaiting transplantation rely ultimately on the generosity of others in making organs available. However, there is a clear and continuing need to further heighten public awareness of the need for additional donors. Your Association has a key role to play in continuing to highlight and promote the importance of organ donation and to encourage people to carry donor cards.
I also understand that a new and exciting development in transplantation at the Mater Hospital has recently been announced - that is the establishment of a heart/lung transplant programme. In the past, Irish patients, needing a lung or heart/lung transplant, have been attending centres in the UK. This, I’m glad to say, need no longer be the case. With the development of this new and important service at home, at least some of the burden on patients and their families will be eased.
In conclusion, I wish to thank you once again for inviting me to be with you here this evening. It is one of my greatest pleasures, as President, to meet with members of voluntary organisations such as your own who give so freely of their time in a selfless manner and who are committed to improving the quality of life of others who are less fortunate. You deserve the thanks and respect of us all and I look forward to having an opportunity to personally meet with many of you in a few moments.
It only remains for me to formally launch the Irish Heart Transplant Association and to wish you well in your future endeavours.