Rheumatologist to operate four hours a week in Mayo

Anton McNulty

The recruitment of a Rheumatologist to work four hours a week in Mayo General Hospital has been described as an ‘insult’ to arthritis sufferers in the county.
The HSE confirmed that the recruitment process for a Rheumatologist was now taking place and the successful applicant would be based in Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim and only operate four hours per week in Mayo.
Sufferers will still have to travel to Galway or Manorhamilton for day infusion service which Sinn Féin councillor Rose Conway-Walsh described as shameful.
“Ireland has one of the lowest numbers of consultant rheumatologists in Europe per head of population, at one per 160,000 just half of the World Health Organisation’s recommended level of one per 80,000. The intention to give just four hours per week service from Mayo General Hospital must be corrected to give the full time service that is vital to the health and well-being of Mayo arthritis sufferers,” said the party’s General Election candidate for Mayo.
The Erris based councillor said there are 26,000 people in Mayo suffering from 100 different types of arthritis and claimed 4,000 patients are waiting two and a half years for their first appointment. 
“Two thirds of the people affected are women and the average age of diagnosis is 35.  It is well documented that there is a direct correlation between the effective management of rheumatoid arthritis and a timely diagnosis.
“We are lucky in that all the treatments necessary to deal with arthritis are available in Ireland.  However, it is disgraceful that such a large number of the Arthritis population cannot get the correct treatment in a timely manner. Contrast this to Spain where patients are diagnosed and treated within a six week period.
“This means that people are left waiting in pain while their condition is deteriorating.  Also because arthritis patients are a high risk category for infections, multiple other medical conditions can develop because of the untreated arthritis problems,” she said.