Ms Avril N? Shearcaigh:

I find the whole conversation about telehealth and e-health services on islands fascinating. It has a really strong place on island communities and will be very helpful into the future. It is important, though, that it does not replace access to healthcare. It means that some patients will still have to travel for appointments. The main thing that must be looked at, which ties in with what the doctor on Clare Island was just talking about in relation to the services being undignified, is that we really need to address disability access on piers for our local residents. We have situations where patients are having to be carried in their wheelchairs up gangways. Depending on the tides, they might have to be carried onto the top deck from the pier and then carried downstairs to get them inside. It is not unsafe and it is no criticism of the crew on the ferries or planes - they are fantastic and so helpful and kind – but in 2023 those people deserve better. It is really undignified; it is embarrassing for them and stressful. In this day and age, it is something we should not be dealing with and nor should they. Often these are really vulnerable people who probably do not have a voice and are probably not being heard. That is something that should be addressed as a matter of urgency on all islands, because I am sure it is the same across the board.

Another thing that can present a huge issue is people with acute health conditions that require specific medications. Often those medications have to be refrigerated and trying to get them to islands can be a real challenge. I know of patients on the island who are having difficulty accessing their medication because the company that delivers the medication has no experience with delivering it to an offshore island. It needs to be kept refrigerated at all times. They are looking into the options available, things like drones, but in the meantime it is really urgent that this person gets his or her medication and that is not happening at the moment. This is something that should be sped up. It should not be something that is put down for discussion at a meeting in a few weeks’ time where we will see if we can try to find something because at the moment, this person is going without the medication he or she really needs.

Those two things would really be transformative in terms of health on the islands and allowing people to live longer on the islands. It is about giving people dignity, at the end of the day. In 2023, we should probably be able to afford that to everybody. We are lucky that in Inis Mór we have new piers and we have a pontoon in Ros an Mhíl. I know many of the islands have much worse conditions, and the pier on Inis Oírr is dangerous for all passengers in the winter months, but we are talking about things such as a wheelchair user being carried by crew on board the boat.

It is dangerous, frankly, and it is not good enough.