A grateful patient’s tribute to Offaly and Ireland’s health workers

RECENTLY, I had a health scare - one of those moments that pulls life into sharp focus. What began as discomfort while attending a European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg quickly escalated and, by Saturday night, I found myself in the capable hands of the Emergency Department team at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore. By Sunday, I was transferred to the cardiac unit at St James’s Hospital in Dublin for a surgical procedure which took place on Monday.

In those long hours - between tests, consultations and surgery - the emotion I felt most was deep gratitude. I witnessed firsthand the resilience, professionalism and compassion of Ireland’s healthcare workers. From ambulance crew to nurses, porters to consultants, I saw a system that - despite all the pressures we know it faces - functions because of the remarkable people who give so much of themselves to it.

It reminded me of something we too often forget: the real strength of our health service lies not just in buildings, machines or budgets - but in its people. People who meet patients at their most vulnerable and treat them with skill, empathy and dignity. It is, of course, also important to acknowledge the real challenges that exist within the HSE: waiting lists and recruitment difficulties among them. But it's equally important to recognise the progress we've made and the extraordinary achievements of our healthcare system over the past few decades.

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In this regard, a number of key facts are outlined in the worthwhile book ‘In Fact: An Optimist’s Guide to Ireland at 100’ by Mark Henry. In the last 100 years, Ireland has halved its death rate. Life expectancy is now 25 years longer than it was a century ago. Childhood survival rates have improved 25-fold. Deaths from heart disease, meanwhile, have fallen by two-thirds in the last 40 years alone and cancer mortality rates are down more than 30% in the past three decades.

These aren't just numbers - they represent thousands of lives extended and families spared loss. And they didn’t happen by accident. They came about through the determination of healthcare staff and sustained public investment. Since the 1970 Health Act introduced eight health boards to ensure standardised care across the country, we’ve seen a 14-fold increase in public health spending. These are resources that - when targeted effectively - manage to deliver tangible, life-saving results.

We’ve seen dramatic advancements in diagnostics and treatments in areas like oncology, cardiology and diabetes care. And as our population lives longer, new pressures have emerged - particularly on community and primary care services. Government has responded by expanding supports such as home help and community-based services that allow people to age with dignity in their homes and communities.

At the same time, as we have all come to know, particularly in recent decades, health and wellbeing aren't confined to hospital walls. They’re shaped by education, social interaction, sport and more. As such, Government investment in mental health and public health campaigns and initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles have all also played a vital role in the improved general health and wellbeing of our nation.

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As someone who grew up in the midst of this transformation of our public health health outcomes, I feel a strong sense of duty to help ensure that our economy continues to provide the means to support a modern, responsive health service. Thriving enterprise, supported by responsible Government, is what will allow us to continue to fund the kind of societal infrastructure that will help people live healthier, fuller lives for generations to come.

To the extraordinary staff in MRH Tullamore and St James’s Hospital - and to all of our health service workers - thank you. You have my deepest appreciation and enduring respect. The progress in public health over the past century - led each and every day by the staff of the HSE and supported by Government - has been nothing short of remarkable. It is all too easy to take our health service in Ireland for granted - until the moment you find yourself relying on it the most. That is something we all, and policymakers in particular, must actively avoid.