“I have brought forward this health care motion as I believe that there is a vacuum in elderly health care education. As things stand, there are specific nursing courses in other areas such as psychiatric nursing but no elderly care nursing degree available.

“Private nursing homes in Ireland provide care for over 21,000 residents and there are over 8000 residential care beds in public nursing homes. There are currently over 500 nursing vacancies in private nursing homes. Under HIQA guidelines, nurses that work in nursing homes are required to be suitably qualified. “Tomorrow’s motion will call on the Minister for Health, James Reilly, to consider in the review of the undergraduate nursing degree to give serious consideration to the proposal that a degree programme should include more training in the area of gerontology, sociology of ageing, dementia and quality of care aspects for older people.

“2011 Census figures indicate that there are over 535,393 people over the age of 65 living in Ireland. A report published by the All Ireland Gerontological Nurses Association has stated that;

- The care needs of residents are becoming increasingly complex which means that a skilled workforce is required.

- Most older people in residential settings live with multiple pathologies and the range of medical diagnoses for people currently in residential care is extensive.

“I look forward to the debate on elderly care nursing qualifications tomorrow in the Seanad as I believe that qualified nurses in Ireland should be adequately equipped to care for older people in society.”

“While there has previously been little concerted evidence indicating the actual number of junior doctors and medical graduates that move overseas to complete their training or to gain experience but anecdotal evidence suggested that the numbers were significant. 

“In a bid to determining the actual numbers, the HSE’s Medical Education & Training Unit carried out a number of surveys on intern doctors which identified the availability of posts, Ireland’s economic situation, access to training and the perceived relative attractiveness of overseas health systems as the main reasons for their departure.

“While the response rate to the survey was low, the final figures worryingly suggest that as many just over half of respondents (52%) indicated that their long-term intention was to work as a consultant in Ireland. The principal reasons provided by interns intending to leave Ireland for a time after internship included lifestyle choices, training opportunities abroad and dissatisfaction with medical training structures in Ireland.

“While experience gained overseas can unquestionably stand to a graduate of any discipline, we must examine the areas we are failing our medical graduates and junior doctors in ensuring that they see a future her in Ireland.

“Attempts are being made by the HSE to retain Irish medical graduates by, for instance, Since 2007 the number of NCHD posts in structured training schemes has doubled from 40% of NCHD posts to over 80%. The number of consultant posts has also increased by 30%, from 1,947 to 2,527, since the establishment of the HSE as a means of improving access to training and career progression.

“Last December, the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies and the HSE co-hosted a multi-stakeholder workshop on Retaining Medical Talent in Ireland, the aim of which is to explore the reasons behind declining numbers of doctors working in the Irish health service and to identify priority areas that need attention.

“The Government is intent on ensuring that all graduates see a future here in Ireland, and our medical professionals are no different. I will continue to press this issue so that the young men and women who are trained in this country can be retained here to work within a health service of which they can be proud.”

“Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a devastating and debilitating genetic condition. EB patients suffer blisters and wounds to their skin even after very minor friction. In mild cases, the disease results in chronic pain and immobility. Severe forms of the condition lead to a life of constant pain. It affects just 1 in every 18,000 babies born.

“EB patients have to endure very high medical costs; dressings alone can cost up to €1,000 a month. EB is not currently in the long term illness scheme, and as many families do not qualify for a medical card on financial grounds, they must go through an assessment to get a medical card. This can be a lengthy and unpredictable process and, once it is completed, the medical card needs to be renewed regularly.

“Furthermore, dressings are not covered by the General Medical Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme meaning they have to be accessed through the Hardship Scheme, which is only available to those with a medical card. To put it simply, EB patients must jump through a series of hoops to get State support for the medical supplies they need to live their day to day lives.

“The plight of EB patients could be eased somewhat if the condition was included in the long term illness scheme, which would entitle them to free medicines and medical appliances. I was disappointed to be told by Minister of State at the Department of Health, Roisin Shorthall, that there are no plans to extend the current scheme.

“However, I am encouraged by the work being carried out by the National Steering Group on rare diseases, which was established last year by the Minister for Health, James Reilly. The Group is considering a number of issues, including access to appropriate medication and technology.

“The HSE has also agreed to establish a National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases. The Steering Group is due to consult with patients and other stakeholders in the coming months, before submitting a plan on rare diseases to the Minister later this year. I hope the policy framework that emerges can offer greater support to EB sufferers, and I will continue to pursue their case with the Minister.”

Senator Burke went on to say that these figures indicate that the backlog in issuing medical cards is set to be cleared by the target date of the end of April 2012.

“The most recent medical card figures release by the HSE, which outline the situation up until the 14th March 2012, show that the backlog has been reduced from 57,962 in January to just 20,976. This is shows that substantial progress is being made in the processing and renewing of medical cards and that the Executive is on track to meet its target of having the backlog cleared by the end of next month.

“I welcome the fact that the medical card processing unit has made significant effort to clear the backlog. This is a welcome development which will ease the worry being experienced by those waiting for applications to be processed.

“On the 1st January 2005, there were 1,145,083 active medical cards. That figure rose to 1,736,958 by 1st March 2012, with an additional 125,317 GP visit cards also issued. This has resulted in an increase of 591,875 medical cards over this period of time; an increase of 52%.

“I am glad that this situation appears to be under control and that turnaround times and deadlines are at last being met. Medical cards offer reassurance to those who are unable to meet the cost of GP and medical costs in general. Support can now be restored in the ability of the processing unit to meet the demands placed on it.

“This Government is intent on turning our health service around and ensuring adequate delivery of service for our people. The Minister for Health, James Reilly just recently announced the elimination of restrictions on General Practitioners (GPs) who wish to obtain contracts to treat public patients under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme by opening up access to GMS contracts to all fully qualified and vocationally trained GPs.  This will give medical card patients more choice in who treats them.

“We will continue to work towards improving primary care services and ensuring that people receive care based on their medical need, and not the money in their pocket.”

“I am delighted that two new schools will be built and a further three will be extended  as part of this major school building programme. Despite our difficult economic circumstances, the Government is determined to prioritise school building projects to cater for the projected increase in pupil numbers over the coming years.

 “A new school will be built for Gaelscoil , An Ghort Alainn. Construction will commence in 2013. Furthermore a purpose built school will be constructed for the Cara Special Needs School to be run by the Brothers of Charity.

“Glanmire Community College will receive a post primary extension in 2014/2015. St Angela’s Secondary School , St Patrick’s Hill will benefit from an extension in 2015/2016 and Scoil Mhuire on Wellington road will get a new extension to the school this year.

“These projects will not only have a huge impact on the teachers, pupils and local communities across Cork North Central that benefit from new and improved school facilities, they will also give a significant boost in terms of job creation. At least 15,000 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs will be created during the construction phase over the next five years.

“A total of €1.5 billion will be invested by the Government between now and the end of 2016 to provide these new and improved school buildings. This will include 106 new schools and 65 extensions at primary level, 43 new schools and 49 extensions at second level, and 8 new special schools and 4 extensions at special schools.

“The Government is acting now in order to prepare for the huge increase in pupil numbers expected over the next few years. It’s anticipated that there will be an increase of 45,000 children going to primary school, and 25,000 at second level between now and 2017.

“On top of the school projects announced today, a further 60 schools are already under construction and are due to be completed this year. It’s also expected that some additional school projects may be announced during the term of the five year capital plan, to cater for increased demand in some areas.

“Within extremely limited spending options we are taking the steps to ensure that our children are educated in safe, modern facilities. In recent weeks, funding of €35 million was also announced to put an end to the wasteful policy of housing our pupils in prefabs which was pursued by the Fianna Fáil Government for so many years.”

Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Health, Senator Colm Burke, has said confirmation from the Minister for Health, James Reilly in the Seanad this week that a proposal has been submitted to the HSE to establish a national clinical programme for rare diseases is excellent news as will pave the best way forward for dealing with specific conditions.

Senator Burke was speaking following the introduction of his Private Members’ Motions in the Seanad calling for the introduction of a national plan for rare diseases and for funding to be prioritised for this area.

“Confirmation by the Health Minister this week that a dedicated HSE clinical programme for rare disease is to be developed is good news for those who are suffering from rare diseases. A proposal has been submitted to the HSE’s national director of clinical strategy and programmes to establish a national clinical programme, designed to improve outcomes for people living with rare diseases. 

“A task force is due to report by end of year and if this target date is met it ensure that significant progress is being made. Timely access to centres of expertise nationally and internationally is critical.  So too is providing up-to-date information on new treatments and ongoing clinical trials for the patients affected. 

“The Minister also pointed to developing care pathways with European reference centres for those ‘ultra rare disorders’ for which sufficient expertise in Ireland may not exist. Ireland’s will host the EU Presidency from 1st July 2012 for six months. I believe this presents a great opportunity to push this issue to the top of the agenda and to ensure coordination across the 27 Member States to maximum effect.

“Living with any disease is difficult but living with a rare disease, even moreso. We must endeavour to improve the patient experience and seek out the most effective and efficient ways to treat sufferers so that their quality of life and peace of mind can be improved.”

“Rare diseases are life threatening or chronic debilitating conditions that affect no more than 5 in 10,000 people. Living with any disease presents challenges that must be overcome every day. Living with a rare disease poses significantly more.

“Between 5,000 and 8,000 rare diseases have been described, affecting about 6-8% of the population in the course of their lives and at present, scientific knowledge in this area is limited with less than 150 of the known rare diseases having a marketed drug treatment.

“These conditions are often complex, severe and in some cases debilitating. By carefully examining the ways in which we can improve the situation for sufferers, we can work towards easing their burden and enhancing their quality of life. It is essential that this area is given prominence and that we look at the improvements that can be made in the interest of finding the best way forward. A comprehensive clinical care programme designed for patients with rare diseases would ensure just that.

“We must also give consideration to examining the development of suitable information systems, including registries for rare diseases, and to prioritising available funding for facilities such as the National Centre for Metabolic Disorders at Temple Street Hospital and the National Centre for Medical Genetics (NCMG) at our Lady’s Children’s Hospital with a view to getting to grips with rare diseases.

“The Minister for Health established a National Steering Group to develop a policy framework for the prevention, detection and treatment of rare diseases in April last year. This is based on the principles of high quality care, equity and of being patient centred.  The policy will operate over a 5 year period and will define priority actions subject to resource availability.  

“It is my firm hope that the Minister for Health, James Reilly, when he comes to the Seanad tomorrow, will indicate a willingness to adopt a specialised clinical programme for people living with rare diseases. I will be pressing the matter in the hope of pushing this issue up the priority list and giving increased hope to those living with rare diseases.”

“I am delighted that seven schools in Cork North Central will finally be able to build permanent, state-of-the-art classrooms, after so many years of wasting a huge amount of money renting prefab classrooms, which could have been put towards other vital education services.

“For many years during the height of the boom, Fine Gael consistently called for this serious waste of money which was spent on renting prefabs to be addressed. Despite the massive amount of spending that went on during the boom, the previous Government did nothing to address this. Instead they continued renting prefabs; in 2007 alone, 715 new rental contracts were signed.

“I am delighted that this Government is now addressing this problem and 200 permanent structures across the country will be built this year, which covers over a third of all schools who currently rent prefabs. A total of €35 million has been allocated and it is estimated the 6,000 pupils will benefit.

“Since this Government was formed, the Minister for Education has been focused on reforming our education system, despite constrained resources. Today’s announcement is an example of identifying where money is being wasted. Building sustainable classrooms will save approximately €5 million per year and create an estimated 700 direct and 140 indirect jobs.

“This announcement is not part of the five-year building programme which will be announced in the coming weeks. Today’s initiative forms part of the Government’s €430 million education infrastructure plan for 2012. The investment in the School Building Programme this year, including the replacement of prefabs, will create an estimated 3,250 direct and 650 indirect jobs.”

]]> http://www.colmburke.eu/government-delivers-on-promise-to-get-rid-of-expensive-prefab-classrooms-%e2%80%93-colm-burke.html/feed 0 http://www.colmburke.eu/minister%e2%80%99s-approach-to-cork-prison-is-a-the-right-one-burke.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=minister%25e2%2580%2599s-approach-to-cork-prison-is-a-the-right-one-burke http://www.colmburke.eu/minister%e2%80%99s-approach-to-cork-prison-is-a-the-right-one-burke.html#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:55:44 +0000 badmin http://www.colmburke.eu/?p=682 Welcoming the announcement by the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, that a strategy to deal with accommodation in Cork prison and the management of prisoners who would be better served being reintegrated back into society, Fine Gael Cork Senator, Colm Burke, said the approach being adopted by the Minister is the right one.

“Plans to deal with the issue of overcrowding at Cork Prison have been ignored for too long. The Minister, on taking up his new role, immediately sought to tackle overcrowding at the prison and to effectively manage prisoner release. Today, we have confirmation that progress is being made in this regards and that the preliminary stages of developing Cork Prison are underway.

  ]]> http://www.colmburke.eu/minister%e2%80%99s-approach-to-cork-prison-is-a-the-right-one-burke.html/feed 0 http://www.colmburke.eu/burke-welcomes-guidelines-for-irish-couples-on-foreign-surrogacy.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=burke-welcomes-guidelines-for-irish-couples-on-foreign-surrogacy http://www.colmburke.eu/burke-welcomes-guidelines-for-irish-couples-on-foreign-surrogacy.html#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:17:31 +0000 badmin http://www.colmburke.eu/?p=678 Fine Gael Cork Senator, Colm Burke, has welcomed the publication today (Tuesday) by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter, of guidance for Irish couples on surrogacy arrangements made abroad.

Senator Burke questioned the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, last week at the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children on this issue in light of the number of Irish people that are arranging for children to be born through surrogacy, in particular in the Ukraine, India and the US.

“The guide, published today, will give certainty to what is an extremely complex issue. The decision to have a child through surrogacy is one that is not taken lightly and every effort must be made to eradicate any issue that may further complicate the process for the parties involved.

“Safeguarding the interests of the child in question and ensuring that all of the appropriate procedures are adhered to when taking a child born through foreign surrogacy home to live in the Irish State must be a priority. This guidance document, which deals with issues relating to citizenship, parentage, guardianship and travel documentation for the child, will ensure that there is no doubt about what is legally expected of the parents and what needs to be done.

“In view of the number of Irish people that are arranging for children to be born through foreign surrogacy, a comprehensive document set out in black and white will dispel the legal fears and insecurities of many.

“Minister Shatter has said he intends to develop legislative proposals in this area in collaboration  with the Department of Health, giving consideration to practical experiences and developments in the law of other jurisdictions. This will come as a welcome relief to many prospective parents who are hoping to extend their families in this way but are unsure of what lies ahead.”