Government committed to CF unit at St Vincent’s, insists Tánaiste
The contract for the 100-bed unit, expected to be opened this year, is due to be signed next week.
CF sufferers and their parents again took to the airways yesterday to express their anger and frustration at the delay in opening the dedicated unit.
One mother who called RTÉ’s Liveline accused the Government of cutting short the lives of CF sufferers because of the delay.
But Ms Coughlan, who was replying in the Dáil to Labour’s health spokeswoman, Jan O’Sullivan, said the issue of the CF unit was very much a priority for the Government and the Health Service Executive.
Chief executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, Philip Watt, said the Tánaiste’s announcement should ease concern.
Meanwhile, a father’s love for his son is resulting in a radical improvement in treatment facilities for people with cystic fibrosis in Cork University Hospital.
Building started last month on a new CF daycare unit in CUH that is due to open in February and plans are well advanced for the development of a dedicated 10-bed CF in-patient unit, together with a single isolation room.
Kerryman Joe Browne, whose 10-year-old son, Pádraig, was diagnosed with CF at 18 months, has played a leading role in raising the €2 million needed for both projects.
Mr Browne, a developer, said he was horrified when he first became aware of the lack of resources at CUH.
He established the charity Build4Life, setting an initial fundraising target of €1m to help develop a dedicated CF treatment unit within the hospital. “Cork is the second busiest centre in Ireland and that will only increase.
“We have 200 CF sufferers out of a national total of 1,100 and no facilities — absolutely none.”
The father of three from Castleisland, Co Kerry, said he first became aware of the plight of Cork CF sufferers in CUH when he visited his friend, the late Mary Hand, a CF sufferer from Dingle.
The 23-year-old died in September 2005 after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.
He said the conditions that CF sufferers like Mary endured made him fear for his son’s future. “I love my son too much not to do the best I can for him.
“It was extremely difficult to get a bed and even more difficult to get a bed in a single room. CF patients have to be kept away from each other as well as other patients because of the cross infection risk.”
The campaign got underway with Mr Browne donating land in Castleisland to develop two houses, with all materials, labour and fit out donated by individuals and businesses free of charge. The project raised around €600,000.
Mr Browne stressed that Build4Life was entirely voluntary, with all monies raised going directly into the fund for CF facilities and service provision in CUH.
Later this month he will meet CUH officials to discuss the in-patient unit.
He is hoping to find out when the CF beds will be provided and the cost involved, estimated at €1.5m and remains confident that the charity can raise more funds to meet any shortfall.
* www.build4life.net.
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