Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed)

6:25 pm

Mr. Gerry Martin:

I had better not answer that or comment because I am not a clinician. However, it is certainly true that some of the interventions can be pharmacological. Some medicines can help and have been shown to help and, if not to cure, then at least to slow down the prognosis of the disease. Equally, some interventions on a more social basis have also been shown to have a major impact on delaying the progression of disease, for example, keeping people engaged and exercised, etc., not least supporting their own carers. There can be a mix and certainly there is no up-to-date advance in terms of medication but I would not rule out the importance of people having it included in terms of a timely diagnosis.

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