SPEECH BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
SPEECH BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF THE MEATH HOSPITAL TALLAGHT, DUBLIN
Dia dhíbh go léir. Tá áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu. Mile bhuíochas díbh as an fáilte a thug sibh dom.
I am delighted to join you in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Meath Hospital and I thank Gerry Brady, Chairman of The Meath Foundation for the kind invitation.
On this special anniversary we look back over a legacy of healthcare that spans four centuries from the great era of hospital building in the mid eighteenth century that the Meath was part of, to the 21st century in this state of the art new hospital.
Through the story of the Meath Hospital we see the story of medical care in this city and indeed in this country as it grew from pitifully grim origins to the modern sophisticated service from which we expect and receive so much. The Meath was founded in a city which only a couple of decades earlier hadn’t a regular hospital to its name and where medical education was in its infancy. Today Ireland’s name as a centre of medical excellence is renowned around the world and the Meath Foundation is the custodian of the vision, values and traditions which saw the Meath grow in stature from generation to generation, changing, developing, amalgamating, metamorphosing into the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght, a byword for the best of modern Irish healthcare.
The general theme of the 250th anniversary celebrations “Education in the Health Service” could not be more apt for the coherent development of Medical Education in Ireland is not much older than the Meath itself, so you could say that the Meath and Irish medical education grew up together. The landscape of the past is a strange patchwork as the circumstances of history shaped and reshaped Ireland’s fortunes. The staff and patients of the Meath were witnesses to a changing Dublin, a changing Ireland and in particular to an awakening social consciousness which insisted on the equality of each human being and the right of each of us to decent healthcare. The temper of public debate has changed dramatically from the quiescent deference of old to spirited and even strident contemporary mood. The public has huge expectations of today’s health care system and the system has huge expectations of itself. That is why it is so reassuring to see the Foundation’s commitment to creating a research culture and a life-long learning environment for the health professionals of all disciplines who work here.
The Meath Hospital has a crafted distinguished past since it first opened its doors to Dublin’s poor on this day in 1753. It would never have existed but for the generosity of the public and it was simple human kindness that sustained it financially for many years. Today that kindness is still at its heart operating now in a formidable partnership with government to ensure the best of care for our people. There is a particularly pertinent saying that summarises today’s gathering - Let those who drink the water remember with gratitude those who dug the well.
Four years ago the Meath along with the Adelaide and The National Children’s Hospital, relocated to the new hospital here at Tallaght which represents the largest ever healthcare project undertaken by the State. Those early founders of the Meath would surely be immensely proud to see that from the work of their hands grew this remarkable public, voluntary teaching hospital. As the old Irish seanfhocal says - Tus maith is leath na hoibre - a good start is half the work.
The Meath has its list of innovations, breakthroughs and firsts from being the site of the first hypodermic injection, through its pioneering development of radiology and urology, its genito urinary department, its discovery of a cure for the duodenal ulcer and of course here in the new premises in Tallaght we have the first unit in Ireland dedicated to the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Behind each of those highlights is the relentless dedication, curiosity and concern for humanity which insists on pursuing the improvement of the human condition. Behind every piece of new technology, every complex life-saving machine, there are men and women who commit their lives to our healthcare. In making this work and this world their vocation they know there is no day when they can say they know everything. Every day is a challenge to shift the frontiers another inch and that challenge calls for exceptional people.
Today is my chance to salute, thank and encourage those exceptional people, to tell you how proud we are of you, how blessed we are in you. Your professional work calls for skills and training of the highest order but it also calls for an attitude and a value system in which no matter how tired or pressurised you are feeling, the patient feels only your care and your concern.
Hospitals of their nature are places of considerable daily drama. Here people’s vulnerabilities and fears are revealed. If there is joy it is great joy. If there is tragedy and sadness it is awesome sadness. You are mixed and meshed into those dramas and deeply drawn into the lives of strangers who look to you to be their scaffolding. What you do and what has been done in the name of the Meath for 250 years is not and never has been done for thanks but you are surely deserving of the resounding gratitude of all those who have known the comfort of your support and your help.
From the electrician who keeps the services operating, to the cleaner who makes the place look beautiful, from the nurse whose smile makes a patient relax to the surgeon whose skill restores health, from the cook who keeps the hospital fed to the administrator who takes the blame for everything and sundry this is a huge community endeavour, a team effort backed up by an army of friends and volunteers, fundraisers and ambassadors who keep on putting the Meath first. To each one of you I say well done. To greet the end of a quarter of a millennium of service with the bold statement that this hospital is, is to truly honour the legacy of the old Meath. I wish you well in your year of celebration and commemoration as you call to memory the past generations and legendary characters in whose shoes you know stand. We drink fine water from the best of wells and through this celebration we are saying that we are indeed deeply grateful.
Go néirí libh. Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.