‘Ground-breaking’ new heart failure medication will help to save lives, according to Fine Gael TD for Galway West Sean Kyne.

Kyne, who is Minister for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, previously raised the availability of the medicine with Health Minster, Simon Harris.

Minister Kyne welcomed the HSE’s approval of this new, ‘ground-breaking’ medication for heart failure which is available from today, Friday, 1st December.

He said: “Having raised the availability of this new, innovative medication with Health Minster, Simon Harris TD, I am delighted that the HSE’s Medicines Management Programme has approved the reimbursement of ‘Entresto’ heart failure medication.

“As a result, the life-saving and life-enhancing medicine will be available to patients under the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme from today, Friday, 1st December.

“Entresto is the first innovative therapy for heart failure in over a decade and clinical trials have shown that it reduces deaths by 20% and hospitalisations by 21% enabling patients to remain at home in their community rather than in hospital.

“The results are all the more significant given that there are over 90,000 people with heart failure in Ireland and that the condition accounts for over half of all hospitalisations of people over 65.

“With the advances in research and technology resulting in more high-tech medications it is important that we review the process for examining new medications which are being consider for inclusion under the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme.

“The application for Entreso was first submitted in January 2016 but was only finally sanctioned in November 2017. This is in contrast to other countries, including the US, the UK and Germany, where the availability of the medication was fast-tracked.

“While I accept and appreciate the need for a rigorous and thorough process to examine and new medications to independently review their effectiveness the length of time awaiting a decision is far too long.

“Medications, like Entresto, make a huge difference to the lives of patients across the country as well as reducing the spending required on hospital treatment. Therefore, we need to ensure that our medicines approval process is as effective and efficient as possible,” Sean Kyne added.

A Galway West TD has described as ‘disturbing’ the fact that University Hospital Galway accounts for a quarter of all patients in Ireland waiting for inpatient treatment for over 15 months.

Noel Grealish said that one in six patients in Galway have been on waiting lists for over 15 months, whereas the figure nationally is one in eleven patients.

He also said that it was ‘shocking’ that 114 people have been waiting for more than a year in Galway for cardiac treatment, when this time last year there was just one patient in that situation.

The comments were made in the Dáil yesterday to new Tánaiste Simon Coveney at leaders questions, during which he outlined the failures of our health system, especially in Galway.

“My own local hospital, University Hospital Galway, UHG, which is the busiest in the country, is an example of the woes of the current health system, with its growing waiting lists and overcrowded emergency department,” he said.

“The situation has been made worse by the fact that leaking rooves over the operating theatres in Merlin Park Hospital have resulted in some procedures having to be carried out in UHG and, of course, the cancellation of many operations.”

Noel Grealish said that he appreciates that there has been some movement to reduce the inpatient and day case list but that he finds it ‘disturbing’ that UHG still accounts for more than a quarter of all the patients in the country who are waiting for more than 15 months for inpatient treatment.

“Put another way, one in 11 patients on the waiting lists for inpatient or day case treatment nationally have been waiting for more than 15 months.

“In Galway that proportion is one in six patients.

“It is shocking, for instance, that a total of 114 people have been waiting for more than a year in Galway for cardiac treatment, when this time last year there was just one patient in this situation.

“There were 17 people last year waiting for more than a year and a half for oral surgery and this total has since soared to 570. We seem to be going backwards, rather than forward, in terms of health care and the reforms suggested in the Sláintecare report cannot come fast enough,” said the Independent TD.

Simon Coveney said: “As part of budget 2018 it was announced that funding to improve access to emergency care in 2018 will enable the opening of additional hospital capacity, including new beds, and additional diagnostic services and surgical capacity will be provided to reduce emergency department overcrowding.

“Additional capacity will be introduced in Galway in this respect.

“A new 75-bed ward block was completed in 2016 and the new acute mental health department is expected to be operational by the end of 2017.”

In a shock announcement this afternoon, Galway West senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has quit Sinn Féin, citing ‘unacceptable behaviour’ against him as the reason behind his decision.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh has been a senator since 2011 and a member of Sinn Féin since 2009, after being a member of the Labour Party for 12 years.

He was elected to the Seanad twice, but is now expected to run in the next general election as an independent candidate.

Deáscéala! Positive news! Boost for Sinn Féin as 20% say they’d be more likely to vote for party under new leader… https://t.co/kTKpYaT5Fz

— Trevor ÓClochartaigh (@trevorocSF) 25 November 2017

Ó Clochartaigh was in Barcelona recently as an observer of the disputed independence referendum.

Sinn Féin are yet to make a statement on Ó Clochartaigh’s resignation.

More to follow…

Galway at Christmas is special. But one of the worst things about this time of year is the traffic.

One way around that is by using the annual Park & Ride Christmas Service which begins this weekend.

It saves many people time and money each year, and for a reasonable price, it really is a lifesaver.

After this weekend, the service will continue next weekend (from Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th), and then from Thursday the 14th every day until Christmas Eve.

The Service will operate from Ballybrit Racecourse to the City Centre from 9.30 am to 9.30 pm, on the days of service and from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm. on Sundays.

Buses will run every 15 minutes in both directions between the Racecourse and the Coach Station at Fairgreen.

The service is operated by Bus Eireann on behalf of Galway City Council and the fee is €2 per person return with children travelling for free, also  included is  all-day parking at Ballybrit.

The high frequency of buses, competitive pricing  at €2 per person return and the faster journey time using the bus lanes, will make the journey stress-free and reliable.

The terminus at Galway Racecourse is situated for people travelling to the City along the M6, N6, N17, N18 and Monivea Roads.

Commenting on the Park & Ride service, Brian Connolly, Regional Manager, West, Bus Éireann said: “We are delighted to be operating this terrific service on behalf of Galway City Council and we would encourage the public to avail of this service to help alleviate traffic congestion during this busy period.

“Travelling by Bus Éireann is the most cost effective way for customers to do their Christmas shopping by sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the festivities that Galway city has to offer.”

For the third year running, talented young chefs at GMIT will host a very special gourmet evening in aid of the local RNLI Galway Lifeboat Station, which saves many lives each year at sea.

The mouth-watering menu will include dishes such as House Cured Pastrami, Sauerkraut, and Gubbeen Cheese Crostini; Cup of Warm Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Yogurt; Pan Fried Hake with Crispy Chicken Skin, Dashi, and Shitake Mushrooms; and Friendly Farmer Roast Turkey and Honey Baked Castlemine Ham, Champ Croquette.

The event, which will take place on Monday, 4 December at 5pm, is expected to sell out.

And looking at that menu, it’s not all that surprising.

Lecturers Cormac Handy and Brian Morrissey will lead and support both groups of students, from the Higher Certificate in Arts in Culinary Arts and the BA (Hons) in Hotel Management programmes, welcoming guests at 5pm to a drinks reception followed by a seasonal menu with accompanying wines.

Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, recently appointed Head of Dept of Languages & Humanities, and Heritage & Tourism, has been co-ordinating this GMIT event with the Lifeboat for the past few years.

“We are delighted with its success each year as all proceeds go to the RNLI whose volunteer crew are on call 24/7 to help save lives at sea,” he says. “It is a great teaching and learning experience for our students and forms part of their studies each year.”

Tony Hiney, Community Fundraising Manager, RNLI, says the charity values GMIT’s ongoing support. “We are grateful to the students and staff of GMIT who generously give of their time, skills and efforts each year, supporting our work and raising awareness among the general public of the importance of respecting the water while enjoying our beautiful natural resources in Galway, the sea and our waterways.”

Tickets are priced at €30pp and bookings can be made by emailing restaurants@gmit.ie or phoning 087-2065689.

COPE Waterside House is launching a new booklet entitled Parenting in the context of Domestic Violence, as part of the annual global awareness campaign, 16days of Action on Violence against Women.

The campaign began on Saturday 25 November which was International Day Opposing Violence against Women.

It will end on International Human Rights Day – 10 December.

Parenting in the context of Domestic Violence covers topics from talking to children about the domestic abuse and how to manage contact and access with a non-cooperative ex-partner.

It also explores coping mechanisms and strategies for mothers whose parenting has been undermined through abuse.

Professor Pat Dolan of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUIG, who wrote the forward for the booklet, said: “Not alone has the voice of women who are parents experiencing domestic violence been unheard, their expertise and wisdom in relation to coping remains untapped and unshared.

“This booklet is both welcome and timely in that it firstly outlines the challenges and solutions of trying to parent well while living with domestic violence; but also its authorship includes those with first-hand experience.”

Christiane Blodau, Service Coordinator at COPE Galway Waterside House said that parenting alone can be difficult at times, but parenting after leaving an abusive relationship can mean dealing with especially challenging issues.

“Women often leave abusive relationships because of concerns about their children’s well-being. When they come to COPE Waterside House refuge or our outreach service they report a number of these concerns, which range from worrying about the immediate and long-term effects of abuse on their children; how the abuse has affected their confidence as a mother and how to manage ongoing contact with their children’s father post-separation.

“Many women report that the problems do not end with separation. As one mother said, “I did not realise how much my child blamed herself for what happened. It was only years later that it all came out. You have to reassure your kids that it was never their fault,” she said.

Ms Blodau also said that it’s important to note that while domestic abuse can have an adverse effect on women and children having survived abuse as a child, it is not a  ‘life sentence’ for problems in the future.

“With the right support,” she said, “we can achieve very positive outcomes. Accessing support is a vital first step for both safety and recovery.”

Professor Pat Dolan of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre will launch Parenting in the context of Domestic Violence at the Town Hall Theatre on Monday, December 4^th at 11am. If you would like to attend the launch, contact COPE Galway Waterside House – 091 565985.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or is affected by any of the issues mentioned above, phone COPE Waterside House at 091 565 985 (24h).

Galway West election candidate Niall Ó Tuathail has outlined why he wouldn’t support a light rail system for Galway, citing the River Corrib and the population density of the city as reasons it wouldn’t be ideal.

The Social Democrats candidate won over 3,500 first preference votes in last Febuary’s election, just 1.7% behind Hildegrade Naughton who was elected on the 14th count.

Mr Ó Tuathail took to social media today to outline exactly why he doesn’t agree that Galway would be an ideal city for light rail system.

“In general, I believe our county needs a big investment in affordable and frequent public transport (rural and city) and cycling (greenways and segregated cycle lanes in our towns and city). I think that’s the best way to relieve the traffic crisis and create better quality of life for Galway,” Mr Ó Tuathail said.

“So I should be for a light rail line in Galway, right? Catherine Connolly, who I have a lot of respect for, is organising a public meeting this week and is using the example of Cosenza, an Italian town with a population similar to Galway that is about to build a light rail system. Surely if Cosenza are doing it, it’s a no-brainer for Galway to do it too?

“I’d love to have a light rail system in Galway but if I’m going to advocate for something like that, I need to make sure it makes sense and I can’t say it does for a few reasons.”

He said that because Galway has a much lower population density than most other European cities, our needs here are different.

“I did the maths and Cosenza’s city boundary is 5x smaller than Galway for the same population. I’ve taken some photos of typical residential areas from Cosenza and Galway and you can see how the apartment blocks that Cosenza (and most other European cities) has achieved this.

“For Galway to have an equivalent light rail service to Cosenza, we would need to build about 5x the amount of stations Cosenza would to move the same number of people. That means 5x the cost and much longer journey times. Cosenza also doesn’t have the River Corrib running through it with no spare bridges to use. It’s pretty clear that we can’t use Cosenza as a realistic comparison.”

He believes that the future of city transport is likely to be on roads, i.e. buses, bicycles, walking and cars rather than rail.

“Technology is changing quickly and within 10-15 years (when any light rail project would realistically be finished), I would expect there to be driverless bus systems that would work very efficiently on the roads we have already built.

“Studies are predicting we would have 3-10x better traffic flow with the same road network if we have driverless cars and buses. There is a realistic prospect that any rail project could be a white elephant by the time it is built,” he said.

The Social Democrats candidate then posed the question: what is the best way to spend hundreds of millions of euros of our money to improve traffic and improve our quality of life.

“For me, I believe that is best spent on a proper safe network cycling lanes & greenways and a public bus network in city and county that is frequent, reliable and affordable and maintaining and improving the road network we have (like the N59). In my opinion, it would give us much better value-for-money and would be more future-proof than rail.

“That’s why I can’t support light rail in Galway yet. If we are serious about building high-density apartments in the city centre (which I think we should as a priority), if light rail building costs come down, if driverless buses don’t happen, I would re-evaluate. But I’ll always try to be honest about what we should do based on the available evidence,” Mr Ó Tuathail added.

The revolutionary legacy of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara will be the focus of a public meeting upstairs in Busker Browne’s tomorrow at 8pm.

Just last month, on the 50th anniversary of his death, his legacy became a controversial national talking point when An Post marked the anniversary with a special stamp.

The stamp featured Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick’s iconic rework of the Guerrillero Heroico photograph taken in Havana in 1960.

Half a century after Jim Fitzpatrick received the original image from Dutch anarchists, and indeed 50 years after Che Guevara was murdered by the Bolivian Army supported by the CIA, his legacy remains controversial.

The meeting tomorrow is being organised by the Socialist Party and speakers will include former Socialist Party TD and MEP Joe Higgins.

Che Guevara, whose descendents were from Galway, fought for Marxism in oppressed countries around the world until he was finally captured and shot in Bolivia.

His ideals were formed while he was still a medical student at the University of Buenos Aires.

Before completing his studies, he embarked on a motorcycle journey across the continent with a close friend.

While travelling, he grew angry with the treatment of the indigenous peoples and peasants of South America, who were being evicted from their lands by corrupt governments often supported by the USA, and exploited by North American multinationals.

After the Cuban revolutionaries’ heroic victory, Che visited Ireland a number of times. One one occasion, bad weather forced his plane to land in Dublin, where he was interviewed by a journalist for RTÉ.

As the interview was unplanned, Aer Lingus air hostess Felima Archer stepped in as a Spanish translator.

Athough her Spanish wasn’t perfect, her efforts allowed the now iconic interview to go ahead.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has slammed Galway City and County councils for not building a single housing unit since the beginning of 2016, with thousands of people on the social housing waiting lists and hundreds homeless in across Galway.

The Galway West – South Mayo Senator was referencing a new report by housing policy analyst and architect Mel Reynolds which indicates that local authorities across the country are sitting on serviced land banks, with only 3% of the 1200 hectares they own being utilised for social housing.

“Mr. Reynolds has accused the State of being the ‘single biggest land hoarder in Ireland’. This is an absolute disgrace and the Government cannot wash their hands of their responsibility for this lack of action.

“They need to make monies and adequate staffing available to the councils in a timely and efficient manner and also speed up the approvals process.  Instead of reports and allocations on  paper, we need action to see real houses built, to house real families, really quickly.

“I also commend Galway Traveller Movement who have launched the Galway Traveller Community Accommodation Campaign. Their conference this week highlighted the disgraceful conditions so many Traveller families find themselves in and the complete failure of the Local Authorities in delivering on the targets they set themselves in their Traveller Accommodation plans,” Senator Ó Clochartaigh said.

He said that much of the blame must lie with local politicians, particularly Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael, who he said ‘do not have the political will’ to deliver on these plans.

“They make a mockery of the Government announcement in relation to recognising Traveller Ethnicity on the 1st of March this year, returning funding allocations consistently, whilst failing miserably to deliver on the fundamentals of adequate, culturally appropriate accommodation solutions”. haven’t built a single housing unit since the beginning of 2016,” he added.

Over 1,600 students will graduate from across the five colleges at NUI Galway at the University’s winter conferring ceremonies which began today.

The graduation ceremonies will continue continue tomorrow and finish on Thursday.

In recognition of his public contribution and charity work, a Doctor of Laws degree was conferred on Jack McCann today.

Jack worked as a plastic surgeon at UGH from 1989 to 2010.

In 2005 he co-founded the charity Irish Friends of Albania and he travels to the balkan country twice a year with teams of medical volunteers to work in hospitals there.

Since 2002 he has operated on hundreds of children and adults to improve and correct hand deformities and burn injuries.

Jack also leads free annual microsurgical training workshops in Albania, training their surgeons to provide better outcomes for their patients.

He fundraises throughout the year, culminating in the annual Irish Friends of Albania Ball.

He is also a published author with four plays, short stories and two collections of poetry.

In recognition of their work in transforming the Galway International Arts Festival John Crumlish as CEO and Paul Fahy as Artistic Director and Producer will both be conferred with honorary Doctor of Arts degrees tomorrow, Wednesday, 22 November.

Galway International Arts Festival has become an event that has international significance, impact and reach; it has made an exceptional contribution to the culture, economy and intellectual life of Galway and Ireland; and it is leading the development of new forms of art in Ireland and globally.

Through the development of a major partnership with NUI Galway since 2012, new opportunities have been created for artists and producers to build successful and sustainable careers in the west of Ireland.