Arthritis Ireland CEO criticises rheumatology services in west

Anton McNulty

THE head of Arthritis Ireland has described the rheumatology service in the west of Ireland as ‘neglected’ and it was unacceptable there was not a full-time rheumatology post in ‘the Taoiseach’s home town’.
John Church, the Chief Executive of Arthritis Ireland was in Mayo last week where Mayo County Council became the first local authority to become ‘Arthritis Champions’ and support their ‘why are we waiting’ campaign.
As part of the campaign, Arthritis Ireland is calling on the next government to commit to appointing 100 additional specialist rheumatology posts within the first 100 days of government.
Over 26,000 people are living with arthritis in Mayo and people with suspected arthritis can wait up to 18 months for a diagnosis. Speaking to The Mayo News, Mr Church described the situation for arthritis suffers in the west and north west as ‘pretty awful’ compared to the rest of the country.
“The situation here is pretty awful and has been the worst in the country for a long time. The west and north west has been neglected beyond reason at this stage. There is no rheumatology service in Mayo where 26,000 people suffer from arthritis.
“This is in the Taoiseach’s home town, to not have a rheumatology service is totally and utterly unacceptable. They have a better level of service in the east and the south east. The west has been completely neglected for a long time while people have been living in despair,” he said.
It has been confirmed a rheumatology consultant has been appointed from the UK to the Manorhamilton rheumatology clinic, and will spend eleven hours a week in Mayo University Hospital. However it is understood the position will not be taken up until at the end of the summer.
In relation to the appointment, Mr Church said it was ‘not enough but better than nothing’ and they will keep the pressure on the Management of Mayo University Hospital to ensure the appropriate staff appointments are put in place.
In relation to their ‘why are we waiting campaign’, Mr Church said that more rheumatology appointments were needed to bring the service in Ireland in line with the rest of Europe.
“We want the best standard for people with arthritis and we know what is needed to compare us to the best in Europe. Sufferers in Mayo should not have to travel up to six hours round trip for treatment. All the TDs and candidates will be getting ready for the election and I am calling on them to become Arthritis Champions and do something about the service.”
The Mayo branch of Arthritis Ireland are hosting an Arthritis Information Research talk in the Royal Theatre, Castlebar on Friday, February 5. There will be a number of information stands on the night and a number of prominent speakers will also be in attendance. They include Professor Gerry Wilson, Chair of Rheumatology in UCD, Professor Frank Barry, Scientific Director of REMEDI at NUIG and Dr John Carey, Consultant Rheumatologist in Galway.
Admission is free and doors open at 6.30pm with guest speakers on at 7.30pm. More information on the Arthritis Ireland campaign is on www.whyarewewaiting.ie.