Outrage expressed at the delivering of the Magdalene Bill
Advocates for women say Bill is unacceptable the paring back of the redress package promises
The entrance to the former Magdalene laundry on Stanhope Street, Dublin. The Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill, published last month, proposes survivors of the laundries be entitled to GP care, prescription medicines, nursing and home-help as well as dental, ophthalmic, aural, counselling, chiropody and physiotherapy services provided by the HSE.
The draft legislation to assist survivors of Magdalene laundries has been described as “unacceptable, unfair and full of broken promises” by advocacy groups.
Advocates for the women say the Bill published last month represents an unacceptable paring back of what the Government promised as part of the women’s redress package.
After Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s apology to the Magdalene women last year, Mr Justice John Quirke was tasked with designing a restorative justice scheme, which the Government accepted.
The Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill, published last month, proposes the women be entitled to GP care, prescription medicines, nursing and home-help as well as dental, ophthalmic, aural, counselling, chiropody and physiotherapy services provided by the HSE.
‘Paring back’
This was described at the press conference as “an obvious and unacceptable paring back” on what Justice Quirke recommended, as well as possibly being open to legal challenge.
It was also claimed that of approximately €60 million allocated for spending on redress for the woman, just €18 million had been spent so far.
Dr Katherine O’Donnell of Justice for Magdalene Research(JFMR) said the Bill represented “a massive claw back” on the Quirke recommendations. She felt it may be open to legal challenge as, on receiving redress, women signed a waiver agreeing not to sue the State. This was on the understanding all the Quirke recommendations would be fulfilled, she said.
“Justice Quirke could not have been clearer in recommending that each woman should receive a card entitling her to the full range of health services provided to state-infected Hepatitis-C survivors under the HAA card scheme,” said Maeve O’Rourke, of JFMR.
“Instead, the Bill promises little more than the regular medical card, which most of the women [91 per cent] already have.”
Health issues
She said 14 per cent of the women were over 80, while the average age of the approximately 500 involved was 70, 66 per cent of them with serious health issues.
The Bill also failed to provide care representatives for Magdalene women in nursing homes whose full capacity to address their affairs may be limited, or to implement fully the recommendations on the women’s pension entitlements.
Orla O’Connor, of the National Women’s Council, said the Bill was “a further denial of the rights of women survivors of the Magdalene laundries”.
Amnesty International’s Colm O’Gorman described the Bill as “outrageous” and asked “what did the Taoiseach apologise for?” He described Government assertions that the interdepartmental McAleese inquiry was “a comprehensive investigation” of the laundries as“shocking”.
‘Enhanced’ medical card
Responding to the criticism, a Department of Justice spokesman said the women would “receive an enhanced medical card on the same lines as the HAA card”.
On the women with reduced capacity, he said this was being dealt with through separate legislation expected to be enacted in the first half of this year.
He also said: “Justice Quirke’s recommendation regarding top-up pension-type payments is being fully implemented.”
Six out of seven Irish maternity units still have “deficits” in tests rolled out after Savita’s death
The I-MEWS system was established in the wake of the death of Savita Halappanavar.
THE HEALTH SERVICE Executie (HSE) says it can give “reasonable assurances” that a patient safety system that monitors pregnant women and their vital signs is operational in six of the seven hospitals it audited last year.
The warning system, established in the wake of the death of Savita Halappanavar is not being operated properly in six of seven maternity wards audited, the HSE found.
The Irish Maternity Early Warning Score (I-MEWS) was developed as part of the HSE Clinical Strategy Programme’s plan for managing acutely ill patients in obstetrics and gynaecology.
It reads vital signs such as temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure and is designed to trigger an escalation of care if the readings are abnormal.
In a series of audits carried out last July and August, the HSE found that while six of the seven maternity units (The Coombe, UHG, CUMH, Cavan General, South Tipperary General and Midlands Regional) had the system, all were found to be lacking.
The audits tested whether an escalation of care was ordered in cases where there had been detected maternal septicaemia (DMS).
The main deficits in compliance identified by the audit team were in relation to initialling and scoring of observations.
“Compliance in relation to the consistent completion of accurate scores when taking sets of observations needs improvement,” states the report.
Excluding the Rotunda, the audit team found deficits in all hospitals in relation to the completion of repeat observations within the recommended timeframes following a trigger. However, the majority of hospitals demonstrated a high level of compliance in relation to escalating the necessary clinical care in cases of red and multiple yellow triggers.The audit team found that in the cases of DMS the escalation of care directly attributable to I-MEWS was positive where the escalation of care resulted from a trigger with the appropriate response required as per the I-MEWS guideline.
The audit team recommend training on the system and the use of midwifery metrics across the board. They say that this will lead to “safe, effective care”.
The HSE said that the audits were not designed to pass or fail hospitals.
“The purpose of the audit is not to pass or fail the maternity hospitals. Many aspects of good practice were identified by the audit team and some deficiencies were noted, which will guide the actions required in the hospitals to fully implement the policy.”
New research has shown that some types of cancer just are just “bad luck”
Eat well, wear sunscreen, trim the fat….10 ways to keep Cancer at bay?
TEN ways to keep cancer at bay..why take the chance? Last week researchers said apart from breast cancer and pancreatic cancer – the disease is not in the genes so sit up, take notice and look after yourself
Scale down to a manageable weight.
A landmark study by the World Cancer Research Fund found “convincing evidence” that being overweight is a cause of six different types of cancer, including colon and breast cancer. The review found that gaining weight can also boost your risk, even if you are within a healthy weight range (BMI 20-25).
Get on your bike with exercise.
Exercise is not just about managing your weight. It can also help reduce your risk of cancer. What’s more, should you get cancer, if you are fit, you are much better placed to fight the disease.
Extinguish that Cig for good.
Smoking is the single biggest cause of ill-health and death in Ireland. Aside from lung cancer, smoking can raise your risk of oral cancers, as well as kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer and more. If you smoke, stop now. Help is available from the HSE QUIT service- Freephone 1800 201 203.
Don’t go against the grain.
Two or more servings of wholegrain, which you can get from breads, cereals and pastas, could cut your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 40%. In pre-menopausal women, fiber in wholegrain cereals could cut the risk of developing breast cancer in half.
Trim the excess Fat.
The more fat you eat, the greater your risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Limit fat to 20-35% of your calorie intake.
Don’t be stingy with the sunscreen.
Most people already know that sun exposure increases your risk of skin cancer but do not know how much sunscreen to put on. When in the sun, you should wear the equivalent of two tablespoons worth to cover your body and a teaspoon’s worth for your face. Always reapply after swimming and do not go out in the midday sun. Never use sun beds.
Arm yourself with nature’s anti-cancer arsenal.
Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals and antioxidants which research suggests help to protect you against cancer. Different foods offer different protective benefits, so be sure to eat a variety of different colours. Broccoli and kale may reduce the risk of colon cancer, while tomatoes can help to protect you against cancers of the stomach and pancreas.
Be the designated driver.
Besides the fact that being the designated driver will make your weekends more affordable, evidence suggests drinking increases your risk of cancers in the bowel, esophagus and liver. Alcohol is also linked with an increase breast cancer risk for women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or with a family history of the disease.
Always be on the lookout.
Cancers such as breast cancer, testicular cancer and skin cancer sometimes have symptoms that you can see and feel. Get to know your body so that you know what is normal for you. If something changes, go to your GP to get it checked out. It may be nothing, but your GP can tell you for sure.
Say “yes” to any of the tests.
If you are invited to participate in screening programmes such as BreastCheck, CervicalCheck or BowelScreen, say “yes.” These are government-funded programmes designed to keep you healthy. They usually involve quick, often painless health checks that will see if you have abnormal cell growth and, if so, will mean doctors will catch any problems at any early stage when they are easy to solve.
Speaking about the Your Health, Your Choice Cancer Prevention Tips for 2015 was Helen Forristal, Nurse Manager, Marie Keating Foundation. She said, “The New Year is a time when many of us reflect on how we want our lives to be different, especially our health and our waistlines. The Marie Keating Foundation wants to help people make small, simple changes to their lifestyle that will help them life happier, healthier, longer lives that are hopefully free from cancer. It is never too late to make changes to your lifestyle, no matter what age or weight you are or no matter how long you have been smoking.”
Forristal added, “The Your Health, Your Choice Cancer Prevention Tips for 2015 are all available on our website alongside our free Ask the Nurse service where people can send us questions that they may have about cancer prevention, cancer symptoms and cancer treatment. We are here to help.”
The long-delayed climate change Bill now published & to mixed reaction
Promises of a low carbon economy by 2050 without binding targets for emissions published.
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015 was published on Monday afternoon by the Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly.
Three years behind schedule, after a myriad of consultations and drafts, the Government has finally published the State’s first climate change Bill to a very mixed reaction.
The Bill has changed little from the draft prepared by Mr Kelly’s predecessor in Environment, Phil Hogan, whose decision not to include any specific targets for emissions reductions was widely criticised by environmental groups and opposition parties.
Instead the Bill sets out a more generalised purpose of enabling the State make a transition to a low carbon economy by 2050. There is no specific definition of “low carbon economy” in the legislation.
The Bill sets out that the manner in which the transition towards a low carbon economy will be achieved will be through a National Mitigation Plan (to lower Ireland’s level greenhouse emissions) and a National Adaptation Framework (to provide for responses to changes caused by climate change). These two plans will be renewed every five years, and will also be required to include tailored sectoral plans.
While there are no explicit targets set out, the legislation obliges the State to “take into account any existing obligation of the State under the law of the European Union or any international agreement”.
In effect, Labour and Fine Gael Deputies have said, the Bill formally obliges the State to adhere to EU targets such as a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020 over 1995 levels.
The other major feature of the Bill is the establishment of an expert advisory council of between nine and 11 members which will advise and make recommendations to the Minister for the Environment.
Its chair will be independent but it will include the top officials from the EPA, Teagasc, Sustainable Energy Irelandand the ESRI. The Minister will not be compelled to follow its advice although he or she will be required to make an annual transition statement to the Dáil.
In a statement Mr Kelly said: “In bringing forward this proposed national legislation, Ireland will also contribute – and be seen to contribute – its fair share of mitigation effort.”
He said it was important that developed countries such as Ireland provide leadership in terms of their contribution.
There was sharp criticism of the absence of any specific target for emissions reductions in the draft legislation. Opposition parties and environmental groups also chided Mr Kelly for not including some of the key recommendations made by the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment into the final Bill.
They included providing a definition of low carbon, as well as guaranteeing the independence of the Expert Advisory Council, as is the case with the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan charged that the Bill had neither targets nor ambition. “The Bill contains noting but vague aspirations,” he said adding that the first mitigation plan would not be prepared in the lifetime of the Government. “Fine Gael and Labour have no ambition when it comes to tackling climate change . . . they don’t give a damn.”
Oisín Coghan of Friends of the Earth said it was deeply disappointing the Bill had ignored the proposals of the Oireachtas Committee. “The Bill does not include a definition of low carbon, it doesn’t guarantee the independence of the Council, and it doesn’t include the principles of climate justice,” he said.
Independent TD Catherine Murphy said it “watered down” previous efforts to put forward climate legislation.
Our Immune system is shaped by the environment more than genetics
Immune systems are shaped by environment more than they are by genetics, according to a new study from Stanford University.
Immune systems in humans are shaped more by environment and behavior than by genetics, according to a new study. Past exposure to pathogens, as well as a record of immunizations, appears to hold a greater influence over health and wellness than genes, according to the new study.
The human immune system is incredibly complex, including a wide variety of white blood cells, as well as messenger proteins to coordinate attacks on microbial invasions. The overall makeup of immune systems can differ greatly from person to person, based on both genetic and environmental factors.
Twins were studied in the experiment, in an effort to determine the relative roles played in illness and health by environment versus heredity. Identical twins share an almost identical set of genes, whereas about half of the genetic code matches in fraternal twins. This allows researchers to isolate which aspects of a subjects health are due to genetic inheritance, as opposed to environment.
Mark Davis of Stanford University led the research team, which studied blood samples from 210 twins, both fraternal and identical, between the ages of eight and 82. These were then examined, searching for 200 factors related to health, including 51 varieties of proteins and 95 forms of immune cells. Investigators found that the immune systems of identical twins were too varied to be explained by genetics. In three quarters of the experiments performed, environment was found to be the predominant factor over genetic inheritance.
“Moreover, younger twins were more similar than were older twins, evidence that as the twins aged and were exposed to different environments, their immune systems diverged over time,” Emily Conover wrote for Science magazine.
Flu vaccines were studied as part of the research, as identical twins should have nearly-identical immune responses if genetics were the dominant factor in fighting illness. The study found that there were significant differences in how bodies of identical twins responded to the vaccines. The degree to which antibodies, forms of protein used to fight off disease, are created in a body appeared to be primarily related to environment. This difference is likely related to the strains of influenza to which a person had become exposed during their lifetime.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a highly-contagious, but usually harmless, virus related to chicken pox and infectious mononucleosis. Between 50 and 80 percent of the U.S. population carries the microbe in their systems. Some of the identical twins in the study were pairs where only one of the siblings carried CMV. Researchers found great variation in those pairs, highlighting the role of environment in shaping immune system responses.
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