Hospitals get hi-tech link from Reynolds

public hospital in the country is to get a 'telemedicine' unit high-tech equipment allowing doctors in one hospital to examine patients in another "as if they were in the room with them".

This medical advancement is thanks to an agreement reached with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and a charity headed by former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and his wife Kathleen.

Mr Reynolds played a leading role in establishing Ireland's Children for Children and Adult Care Foundation after receiving a letter from Marie O'Keeffe from Kilnamona, Co Clare, in 2001 telling him how the death of her sister from cancer had affected her family.

Marie's older sister, Caroline, was 13 when she died from leukaemia in University College Galway in February 1999.

The foundation first set up a collaboration between Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin, and St Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a world leader in the successful treatment and management of children's cancer.

Since then the foundation has installed telemedicine equipment in every children's unit in hospitals in Ireland. A spokeswoman for the foundation said within a few months the equipment was used to save the lives of two children.

Mr Reynolds said he got the letter from Marie in Baltimore Airport when he was travelling to Ireland after attending a meeting of the American Cancer Society.

He said neither he nor his wife could ignore the young girl's letter. Mr Reynolds said he knew his wife wanted particularly to give something back after her recovery from breast cancer.

Medical director of the National Centre for Hereditary Coagulation Disorders at St James's Hospital in Dublin, Dr Barry White, said ensuring that the expertise was provided locally was one of the problems in dealing with complex problems like haemophilia.

"Telemedicine provides us with an ideal opportunity to deliver care locally," he said. Dr White said the centre regularly sees children and adults from Donegal for an assessment.

"That can take 12 hours to drive.

"Telemedicine allows patients to go to Letterkenny Hospital, sit down and have a consultation with their haematologist and at the same time link up to us so that we can provide the help and support in their local environment."