"Those who shout loudest get heard", pretty heavy!

Some of the things you learn as you travel through the University of Life are not at all pleasant.  I’d love to have been able to continue believing that all people were born free and equal, but situations and circumstances have turned me into a bit of a sceptic. On the upside though I guess someone who feels it’s important to speak out for those who are often forgotten.

I'm of the opinion that those who shout loudest get heard and those who don’t are frequently ignored.

 Consider illnesses and charities working to support those with illnesses. Take cancer for instance, unfortunately so many of us through family and friends have witnessed people being struck down with this awful disease, fight it, get through it or succumb to it. It’s horrific, but thankfully there are reasonable levels of support available and rapid advances are being made in terms of treatments and screening for the disease. This is I believe largely as a result of the money the government, charities and large pharmaceutical companies put into Cancer research, and no I ‘m not in anyway advocating that they don’t. There is huge public awareness of the disease and would be public outcry if our facilities were not on a par with other European countries.

Unfortunately there are many other equally devastating illnesses which make daily life a challenge for people, yet many families face these illnesses with little or no support, have to fight for access to therapies and treatments, have to fund raise to fund vital treatment and to campaign vigorously to combat exposure to unnecessary risk. Its as if coping with the illness is not enough of a burden. Advances in treatment are not being made at nearly the same rate as for more prolific illnesses such as cancer and heart disease as research into these areas isn't going to generate significant income for the pharmaceutical companies and the government aren't subject to the major public outcry that would arise if cancer treatment was so far behind other countries. Take cystic fibrosis for example , Ireland has the highest per capita incidence of cystic fibrosis (CF) in the world, yet  people with a CF had to take to the airways and battle for several years before a specialist CF unit was built in St. Vincent’s hospital. Prior to the provision of the isolation rooms in this unit, people with CF were being put at unnecessary risk by exposure to bacteria which could shorten their lifespan by years.  Now a revolutionary new drug treatment for CF has been “Kalydeco” has been developed in the UK and the NHS have agreed to fund its provision, however in Ireland people with CF and their families have to lobby the government and the department of health to get access to this treatment.

This isn't the only example of unnecessary stresses and strains which are imposed on those who already have serious illnesses to deal with. The "Jack and Jill Foundation" was forced to undertake a major fundraising campaign last year to continue to provide services to extremely ill children, enabling them to remain at home. Many of these children have rare syndromes; some have never been given a diagnosis. These families provide constant care for the children and with the support of the nurses provided by the foundation can be kept at home at a far lower cost to the government. Nevertheless when budgets are cut vital services and therapies are taken from these families and they are left to turn to charitable associations or friends and family in an attempt to access therapy privately or to get assistance. They also have to take to the airways and the T.V screens in an attempt to get their voices heard and to generate funds for the charity.

So it happens in the charitable sector and in the health sector, it also happens in the industrial sector. Consider some of the recent government proposals re salary cuts for new graduates; currently it’s the cuts to the salaries of nurses which are dominating discussions. This issue is being raised continuously in the media at present, a similar outcry occurred when the government proposed cuts to the salaries of teachers. I'm not casting judgement on whether these cuts are valid, well actually in the case of the nursing staff I believe that most of them deserve every penny they get given their level of qualification, the vital role they play in the health service, the nature of the work they do and the difficult environment they work in! The issue I want to raise however is that other professions such as allied health professions have also been severely affected by the recruitment embargo and salary cuts proposed by the HSE , however they appear to receive the same media attention as there doesn't appear to be a strong union voice bringing the issue to the collective consciousness.

These are just two examples of what I feel is unequal treatment of smaller voices within our country, unfortunately there are many more.